Shake It
by Brunette S Angel
Summary: After a break-up, Zack's best friend takes him out to have a good time.  Zack isn't really looking for a hook-up, but some people are too compelling to just forget about.  This is a fic for KlikStar.  Yaoi warning.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I decided not to wait until this story was completely finished before posting the first chapter. This fic was an idea that was almost ruined for me after I accidently used it in a challenge, but **KlikStar **convinced me it was all right to go with it, so here's the first chapter. I named it 'Shake It' because I used this story idea when 'Shake It' by Metro Station came on in the challenge (which is featured in the next chapter). This story was written for **KlikStar**, a story that would not have been written otherwise if it weren't for her support and the inspiration she gives me. Thanks for being my friend.

-o-o-o-

Zack mindlessly watched his pen twirl between his fingers as his head rested against his hand, propped up on his desk. Days seemed to drag on and on and were only getting worse as time passed by. Five o'clock would hit then he would go back home to his empty apartment and kill off some time before it was time to go to bed, only to repeat the same routine the next day. There was no substance in his life since his last relationship ended unexpectedly and not having someone waiting at home for you took all the fun out of life.

He would never consider himself a hardcore romantic nor would he say he relied on relationships to make himself feel fulfilled, but as of lately he was beginning to question himself. His last relationship ended so abruptly and not by his choice so he found himself craving one that much more. He wasn't positive whether he wanted the relationship he'd lost back but he was growing tired of coming home to an empty apartment.

Zack cursed quietly under his breath as the pen hit his thumb and fell to the desk. He grinned to himself as he picked up the pen and looked at the time on his computer. Twenty more minutes until he was released from work. He wished he had work to do to kill the time but the company was going through a slow patch. He glanced up at the abandoned game of Solitaire on his computer and sighed. It wasn't until someone startled him from behind before Zack perked up.

"Hard at work, I see." Kunsel said with a grin, taking a seat on Zack's desk.

Zack shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Not a whole lot to do on a slow Friday afternoon."

"Tell me about it. I think the entire tech department is bored out of their minds." Kunsel smiled as he looked over the sea of cubicles. "What are your plans for this weekend?"

Zack looked back at his computer screen and frowned. "Don't have any. I'll probably catch up on my laundry."

"Sounds like a blast." Kunsel commented, folding his arms over his chest.

"I'll say." Zack added, mindlessly kicking at his trash bin with one foot.

"Come out with me and the guys tonight." Kunsel offered, waiting for the darkened mood and rejection that was sure to come.

"I don't know." Zack said, rubbing the back of his head with one hand before letting it fall limply to his lap. "I'm not really in the mood."

"You're never in the mood." Kunsel said, a smirk playing across his lips. "That's why I told you come out; I didn't ask."

Zack looked up at Kunsel and sighed. "Maybe next time."

"Nope. This time." Kunsel said, leaning forward with a smile. "You used that 'next time' routine for the past few weeks and this time I'm holding you to it. Besides, no booze and no friends make Zack a dull boy, indeed."

Zack smiled and shook his head.

"You need to get out of that place, man." Kunsel continued. "Ever since Reno left you've become quite the hermit." Zack's eyes flickered slightly at the mention of Reno's name, not going unnoticed by Kunsel. "It's about time you started hanging out with your best buddy again." Kunsel added, patting Zack on the back. "I miss you sometimes, ya know?"

Zack rolled his eyes and sighed again. "You miss having a drinking buddy that can keep up with you, that's all."

Kunsel laughed and shrugged. "He said – she said. Whoever said it, you're coming out tonight. We're going to The Lookout and getting drunk. Who knows, you may even pick up tonight."

Zack chuckled and leaned forward to shut down his computer. "I doubt that."

"Why not? You're hot, you're single, and you need to get laid. It's perfect!"

"I don't need to _get laid_." Zack countered, sending a playful glare up at his best friend. "I need-"

"If you say 'Reno', I'm going to throw you out of this very window and laugh wildly when your body goes ker-splat!"

"I wasn't going to say 'Reno', but thanks for that friendly warning." Zack chuckled. "I just need to figure things out, that's all."

Kunsel nodded as his expression turned thoughtful. "Yeah, I understand." He rubbed his chin and took a deep breath. "Nothing sorts things out quite like tequila!" he added with a grin. "I'll pick you up at nine. Fair - I suggest you be ready and waiting or I'm dragging you out as is." Kunsel stood up and patted Zack on the back again before giving his shoulder a firm squeeze. "I'm looking forward to spending time with my best bud again."

"Sap…" Zack grumbled under his breath drawing a laugh from Kunsel.

"Fag…" Kunsel retorted, forcing a chuckle out of Zack.

"You knew that already, idiot."

Kunsel looked back and smiled. "And I can't help but love ya. We'll have fun tonight. You'll see."

-.-.-.-

Back at home, Zack sighed heavily to himself as he cleaned up the dishes from dinner. He really didn't feel up to going out that night; as much as he missed his friends, he preferred to wallow in his own misery at home. Kunsel wasn't lying when he told him that he would drag him out as is if Zack wasn't ready. Last time, Zack had to beg Kunsel to allow him to put on a pair of pants when he called his bluff. They had even made it as far as the car before Kunsel released him, threatening that he would be in to drag him back out in two minutes if he wasn't back by then. It had been three weeks since Reno left him for another guy and he didn't quite feel over him yet. In all honesty, if Reno came by tonight to ask for him back, he probably would have agreed. That didn't matter anyhow because Reno was not coming back.

He placed his plate on the drying wrack and reached for the dish towel to dry his hands. He had no idea what he was going to wear tonight and really didn't have the mental energy to put too much thought into it. He wandered to his bedroom in silence and rooted through his closet. He pulled out a random pair of jeans and a t-shirt before changing into the clothes. Just as he fastened his belt, his buzzer rang announcing, presumably, Kunsel's arrival and Zack trotted to the front door to buzz him in.

Kunsel walked into the apartment without knocking and looked Zack up and down before frowning. "That's what you're wearing?" he said, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Umm, it would appear so." Zack countered, narrowing his eyes at his best friend.

"Oh, no, no, no…" Kunsel said, shaking his head and shoving Zack back towards his bedroom. "I'm finally getting you out of the house and you're going to look your hottest." He pushed Zack onto his bed before rooting through the ravenet's closet.

"Why do I need to dress up for The Lookout?" Zack asked, pulling off his shirt.

"Because there's a dance floor and a lot of hot girls… and guys, I suppose." Kunsel answered, tossing a white long-sleeved t-shirt at Zack followed by a black ski-vest. "We're not going to a pub, Zack. We're going to check out the scene."

"I don't wanna _check out the scene_." Zack said, pulling on the shirt Kunsel had picked out for him. "I'll come with you to _the scene_, but I'm not looking to pick up tonight."

"Better be safe than sorry." Kunsel responded, pulling out of the closet with a pair of black cargo pants. "Besides, what's the harm in looking all hot and sexy anyhow?"

Zack rolled his eyes as he stood up to remove his pants. "What's the harm in what I was wearing?"

"Because we're not going to a pub. We've been over this, Fair!" Kunsel responded with playful exasperation, rolling his eyes.

Zack shook his head and couldn't help but smile at his friend as he pulled on his cargo pants. "You're going to ditch me for some chick tonight, aren't you?"

"Maybe?" Kunsel smiled. "There will be others there to keep you company."

"I didn't say that was a bad thing." Zack said, refastening his belt. "The sooner you get distracted, the sooner I can slip out."

"Not tonight, my friend." Kunsel grinned. "You'll have a great time, I promise." He clapped Zack on the back and ushered him out of the room.

Zack was surprised to see the crowd Kunsel managed to drag out for tonight's outing. Most of the guys he hadn't seen since before the breakup and although he would never admit to it, he was relieved that they were all so happy to see him again. A beer was shoved into his hand before he managed to greet everyone and immediately he felt his spirits lift. Tonight wasn't going to be as bad as he'd originally thought.

"Look who decided to come out of his hole!" a voice shouted over the loud music.

Zack turned and smiled as a familiar face approached him and pulled him into a hug. "Hey Luxiere." Zack said as he wrapped his arms around the man.

"Look at you, Mr. Fair, ready for action once again." Luxiere said, looking him up and down. "I must say, it's a relief that you're back because these assholes can't wing like you do."

"I'm not here to find 'action'; I was dragged out by Kunsel." Zack said, a familiar happiness erupting in his heart at seeing his friends again. It felt good after three long weeks of nothingness.

"Well, good on him, then. You've been locked up in that apartment for far too long." Luxiere grinned. "Now tell me, see anything you like yet?" he asked, looking around at the bar and dance floor, which had yet to be filled.

"Not really looking for anything tonight." Zack answered, eyes not bothering to sweep the place.

"It'll just come to you, I'm sure." Kunsel contributed, slinging an arm over Zack's shoulder. "You'll find what you're looking for when you're not looking."

"Right on." Luxiere said, tapping his glass against Kunsel's.

Zack shook his head as he took a long sip from his pint.

"Don't be so down, Zacky-pooh." Kunsel grinned. "You aren't the type to stay single forever. Trust me, if you don't see anything you like tonight then we'll head somewhere else tomorrow."

"I'm not looking for anything tonight." Zack reiterated. "And I'm not going out again tomorrow."

"Yes, you are." Kunsel smiled.

"Yes, he is." Luxiere added, drawing a laugh from Kunsel.

"We're your best friends." Kunsel started. "And we've given you more than enough time to be miserable over that asshole. Now it's our job to make sure you are happy."

"And getting laid." Luxiere added.

"Maybe I want to be single for a little while longer." Zack complained. "And that would make me happy. There - a job well done, guys. Thanks!"

"Okay, be single." Kunsel shrugged. "But the second part of being your best friends is: again, Luxiere, if you please?"

"Make sure you're getting laid, I think it was." Luxiere repeated with a grin.

Zack rolled his eyes as another familiar face approached him. Him and Ollie have never been the best of friends but they hung out with the same circle.

"Zack, always a pleasure."

"Heya Ollie." Zack responded, choosing to take another particularly long sip from his pint.

"How have things been?" Ollie asked in a formal manner. There was always something about this guy that bugged Zack and he didn't know why.

"Fine, thank you. And yourself?" Zack tossed back, not particularly interested in the answer.

"Things have been fine?" Ollie asked without answering. "I'm sorry to hear about you and Reno. I thought he might jump ship but I wasn't sure, which is why I kept my mouth shut."

"Speaking of keeping your mouth shut." Kunsel interrupted, throwing an arm around Zack and leading him to the bar. Zack was stunned at the last comment by Ollie but chose not to say anything.

"Creep…" Kunsel said lowly before looking into his friend's eyes. "I hear that guy stalks people just so he can be the first to start the rumour mill."

"Did he ever tell you why he thought Reno might dump my ass?" Zack asked after emptying his pint and placing the empty glass on the bar.

Kunsel gave him an easy glare before ordering four shots of tequila. "I would have said something to you if he had said anything to me. You know that."

Zack nodded and looked back at Ollie, who was chatting with one of the other guys. "I wonder if he knew…" Zack pondered aloud as the bartender dropped four tequilas in front of them.

"It doesn't matter anyhow because anything said by that guy is probably no more than his over active imagination." Kunsel said, throwing money on the bar and turning Zack around to face him. "Now, in light of my best friend being single with me once more, I toast to you, Zack Fair, that we rip this place up like old times. Two a go!" Kunsel laughed, picking up two of the shot glasses.

Zack smiled at Kunsel and felt nothing but gratitude at this moment. He picked up his shot glasses before tapping them against Kunsel's, downing one after the other.

Kunsel motioned for the bartender to bring two more pints as he put a hand on Zack's shoulder. "Be as miserable as you want for as long as you want, but you need to have one night every once and awhile like this with me, 'kay? That's all I need."

Zack nodded as the bartender placed the two pints in front of the boys. Kunsel paid once again before dragging Zack back to their small crowd.

"Luxiere!" Kunsel shouted. "Five o'clock!"

Luxiere's head whipped around to his right behind him before he grinned back at Kunsel. "You're the awesomest!" he shouted over the music before leaving to pursue the girl Kunsel pointed out.

"He hooked up with her last week." Kunsel filled Zack in with a smile.

Zack nodded as he took a sip from his beer. His eyes avoided Ollie at all costs and roamed towards Luxiere and his rendezvous. He grinned before something caught his eye; a shock of blond hair moving through the crowd followed by two other guys. The hair caught his attention but it was the boy's eyes that caught his interest.

He had never seen eyes so blue before, and even in the darkened room, his eyes seemed to shine with a light-hearted happiness that anyone would find captivating. He wore a black dress shirt untucked and unbuttoned at the top exposing his firm chest with dark blue jeans. Zack noticed a few moments later that he was still staring at this guy who was working his way towards the bar. He shook his head and took another sip from his beer before trying to refocus the conversation that was happening between Kunsel and one of the other guys. It didn't take long for his attention to slip as his eyes roamed over to the bar, back to the stunning blond.

The boy was gorgeous; the most attractive guy Zack had seen and he found himself almost gawking at the sight of him. The blond's eyes moved back and forth between his two friends before they practically lit up the room as a laugh escaped his lips. Zack found himself wondering what that laugh sounded like; the blond's pink lips parting ever so slightly as his body moved forward in amusement. The blond whipped his head back towards the bar as the bartender smiled at him and produced a drink. Zack could make out the words 'thank you' as the blond bashfully winked at the 'tender before turning back towards his friends.

"Find someone?" Kunsel asked playfully, throwing his arm around Zack's shoulder, effectively bringing the ravenet back to the crowd.

Zack looked back at Kunsel and took a sip from his pint. "I'm not looking for anyone." he repeated, attempting to look as casual as possible.

"See something you like, then?" Kunsel laughed, pulling Zack away towards the bar.

Zack attempted to answer before he noticed the direction he was being pulled in. He shuffled back slightly only to be pulled further by his friend, almost stumbling over his own two feet.

"What's up? What's the matter?" Kunsel asked, pausing momentarily to look his friend over.

"Nothing," Zack answered. "It's fine… umm… I have a beer already, thanks."

Kunsel's smile broke out into an almost evil smirk. "We're not getting beer." he started. "We're doing a few more shots."

Zack's mouth snapped shut and he tightened his jaw. His eyes roamed over to the bar, feet away from him, in search for the blond without making it too obvious. "I see…" he started, the blond a safe distance away on the other side of the bar. "You trying to get me drunk, Kunsel?"

"Hells yeah!" Kunsel laughed, pulling Zack with him.

Zack rolled his eyes and leaned forward on the bar. His eyes kept flickering back over to the blond, who was facing away from him and Kunsel in conversation with the bartender. Zack didn't hear what Kunsel had ordered, but he scrunched his nose when the bartender dropped a couple of shots in front of them.

Kunsel paid then took a glass in his hand. "I have an announcement to make!" he shouted over top of the loud music and nearby conversations. Zack froze on the spot. Kunsel chuckled and handed Zack the other shot glass. "I said: I have an announcement to make!" he shouted louder over the surrounding noise.

"Oh Gods…" Zack quietly mumbled to himself.

Everyone at the bar as well as nearby crowds stopped talking and looked Kunsel's way. Zack noticed bright baby blue eyes focus on Kunsel's toast as the blond leaned back on the bar, arching it almost seductively, and watched Kunsel raise his shot glass in the air.

"My best friend, Zack Fair," Kunsel started, wrapping his arm around the ravenet "Is finally single again. I want you all to show him a grand ol' time, do you understand?"

People standing and sitting around them began to chuckle and raised their glasses in the air along with Kunsel.

"I said: Do you understand?" Kunsel shouted again, voice overpowering the music.

There was collective shouting of 'here, here' and an assortment of cat calls followed by some cheering as Kunsel grabbed Zack's arm and raised it in the air. Zack glanced over to the blond, who was smiling happily at him with his drink in the air.

"To Zack being single!" Kunsel shouted before tapping his glass against Zack's and downing his shot.

Cat calls continued as others surrounding them repeated Kunsel's toast and took a drink. Zack noticed the blond nod in his direction before taking a sip of his own drink, reminding Zack to take his shot.

Zack placed the shot glass on the bar after drinking its harsh contents and scrunched his nose. "What the fuck was that?" he asked, taking a deep breath to calm the burning.

Kunsel laughed and hugged his friend. "Just having a good time."

Zack took a sip of his beer to try and wash the shot away as his eyes glanced back up to the blond, who was still looking over at him, a smile still apparent on his lips. One of the blond's friends patted him on the back and began walking away, the blond taking one last glance at Zack before following.

He couldn't believe that Kunsel had just done that to him. In hindsight, it was something to be expected from him, but he really didn't see that one coming. He turned away from the bar and started walking back to his friends, getting stopped every couple of steps by guys congratulating him and girls flirting. He politely thanked them and continued to the safety of his little circle.

His friends laughed at Zack as he rejoined them, patting his back and tapping their glasses against his as Zack sent an evil glare Kunsel's way. Kunsel only smiled affectionately at Zack before his eyes grazed over the place again casually.

Zack didn't take too much notice at what was being said around him as his eyes began to wander again, looking for that blond at the bar. It didn't take him too long to find blond spikes out on the dance floor with his friends, moving to the music in a light-hearted way. He felt himself tense again as he recalled what it felt like to have those eyes looking at him before the blond drank to Kunsel's toast. Even when the blond wasn't looking at him at that moment, he felt this intensity that he hadn't felt before. The boy was simply stunning.

About another hour few by as Zack attempted to keep some sort of conversation going without his thoughts going back to the blond. To be perfectly honest, the alcohol was beginning to take an affect, his head struggling to keep a coherent thought as his friends chatted away beside him. He couldn't help but glance back over at the blond from time to time, watching as he became more obviously drunk with each passing drink but still able to move to the music as though it was the music itself that was moving him. Kunsel tugging on his arm brought him back to his circle.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Zack turned his head and looked at Kunsel with what must have been a dumb look because his friend began to chuckle and shake his head. "Why don't you just go over there and talk to him, then?"

"What?" Zack asked, panicking now that he was found out. "Who? What are you talking about?" He was less than smooth in his drunken state and he knew it.

Kunsel shook his head once more and sighed. "I guess I'm going to have to go over there and ask him his name for you myself, then."

"N-no!" Zack stuttered, grabbing Kunsel's arm and pulling him back. He knew all too well not to call Kunsel's bluffs. They _never _were bluffs.

"Why not? You're obviously attracted to him and he's been glancing back at you all night." Kunsel said, turning his back to the dance floor and standing in front to the ravenet. "Don't think for a second I'm completely oblivious to what's going on here."

"He's been looking at me?" Zack asked, amazed that he hadn't noticed that at all.

"He has. A lot." Kunsel responded. "So stop being such a chick and go over there and ask him for a dance."

Zack almost smiled at this but chose to look down at his drink instead. "No… no, that's… no…"

"Yes," Kunsel said, lifting Zack's chin up with one finger to draw his eyes up to his own. "He's interested and you're going to go over there and talk to him now because he's hot and you're hot and you want to dance with him."

Zack took in a deep breath before shaking his head. "I'm drunk; that's probably not the best idea."

"It's the perfect idea, Zack. When did you become such a baby when it comes to this kind of stuff?" Kunsel sighed and put his hand on Zack's shoulder. "If he walked up to you right at this moment and said 'Hey sexy, come dance with me', what would you say?"

"I don't know, Kunsel…" Zack stammered and took another sip from his beer. "It doesn't-"

"Hey sexy," Kunsel said in a seductive voice. "My name is Blondie and I want to dance with you. What do you say to that, huh?" Kunsel brushed his bangs from his face with a flick of his wrist and leveled Zack with his eyes.

Zack punched Kunsel lightly on the arm and chuckled, taking a few steps back from his friend in case anyone got the wrong idea.

"You'd punch him? Maybe it's best that you don't dance with him then." Kunsel said, straightening his posture and rolling his shoulders. "I can't wait until my old bar-hopping best friend returns because _this_ guy isn't him." he said, gesturing to Zack. "Let me know when we can go pick up together again, ya?"

Zack rolled his eyes and turned towards the bar. He needed another drink. In all honesty, he needed another few hundred drinks, but he'd start with one. He ordered another pint and watched the blond dance as he waited for the bartender to bring him his drink. He leaned forward on the bar and sighed.

Tonight had definitely turned out differently than he thought it would. He was sure it would only take Kunsel an hour to get distracted by some skirt, making his getaway much too easy. In a way, he was glad that things hadn't turned out that way. For what reason, he wasn't completely sure because he was actually having a good time seeing his friends again and because he wouldn't have caught sight of this blond beauty that was twisting his body so gracefully on the dance floor. He shook his head as a drink was produced in front of him. Tossing some money on the bar, Zack turned around and leaned against the ledge and tried to focus on something – anything else but that captivating boy. It wasn't as though he was going to go over there and ask him for a dance, much less his name, so he thought it'd be best to just let it go and try to have a good time with his friends.

As expected, he found it much less interesting to watch Kunsel as he animatedly joked around with the other guys than to watch the blond dance and he found himself glancing back towards the dance floor more often than not.

"He's a regular here," a voice interrupted Zack from his thoughts. He rolled his eyes at the familiar voice and forced himself to turn around and look at Ollie.

"Who's a regular here?" he asked, trying to play it cool.

"The blond guy you've been drooling over all night," Ollie answered with a smirk. "Come on, Zack. You're much more transparent than you think you are."

Zack glanced back at the dance floor at the blond before looking back at Ollie. "So he's cute; so what?"

Ollie chuckled and ordered a drink before leaning against the bar. "I don't know his name but I see him here a lot."

"Good for you?" Zack responded in a form of a sarcastic question.

Ollie rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying. You're single now so why shouldn't you be looking at cute guys, right?"

"I'm not looking to pick up tonight so it doesn't matter." Zack wanted nothing more than to end this conversation and get away from Ollie, but he wasn't prepared to be rude about it; not when he was supposed to be out and having fun. Then something struck him. "What did you mean about Reno, when you said you thought he might 'jump ship'?"

Ollie shook his head and frowned. "That's water under the bridge, Zack."

"I still want to know what you meant by it." Ollie was seriously starting to irritate him.

"What does it matter, huh?" Ollie said a little louder than he probably meant to. "It's over now so why do you need to hear the details? It's not going to fix anything; Reno's gone and is probably never coming back."

Zack put his hand up to silence Ollie before he lost control and punched him in the face. He took a deep breath before lowering his hand and taking a sip from his drink.

"Zack, you're drunk. This isn't something we should be discussing right now."

Zack shook his head and glanced back at the blond, feeling his anger melt away from the smile that radiated happiness from the lithe form.

"Saturday nights he goes to The Bell Tower, if you're interested."

Zack looked back at Ollie with wide eyes before his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Why are you telling me this?"

Ollie shrugged before taking a sip from his drink and smiled. "I thought it might serve as a good apology for being such an ass to you tonight." He looked over at the blond. "You think he's gorgeous now? Wait until you see him move to real music at The Bell Tower." Ollie shook his head as his smile grew bigger. "The boy knows how to have a good time."

Zack looked back at the blond just as baby blues glanced his way. For a moment panic flooded his body and adrenaline pumped through his veins. He couldn't look away even if he tried. The blond smiled at him as he continued to dance with his friends before his attention was snatched away by one of his friends pulling on his arm, leading him closer to the center of the floor.

Ollie patted Zack on the back, drawing his attention back from his daze with a smile. Zack took a deep breath. "The Bell Tower, ya?"

Ollie winked. "He gets there around eleven."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Chapter two. For **KlikStar**.

-o-o-o-

Zack woke up the next morning with a minor headache. He couldn't really complain about it since it was self-inflicted, but he cursed himself for drinking as much as he had the night before. He went to roll out of bed but thought better of it as a wave of dizziness overcame him, and he lied back down against his pillows, drawing the blankets up over his head.

He sighed to himself as he eyes fluttered shut trying to forget about his discomfort. It was nice to get out of the house finally and spend some time with his friends. It had been far too long since he'd done anything without Reno by his side and he almost found it refreshing to see Kunsel again like old times. Well, almost like old times. He really wasn't the wingman he used to be last night but his mind was elsewhere. That thought reminded him of the blond from the club and it surprised Zack when that thought caused his heart to skip a beat or two before beating at a slightly elevated pace.

That blond, so beautiful, so full of life, so sexy… Zack took a deep breath in attempts to calm his heart. He hadn't been expecting to notice anyone on his first night out after Reno had left. He hadn't thought someone could be so captivating to begin with, let alone someone like that noticing him as well. Kunsel's words echoed in his head: _he's been glancing back at you all night._ Zack couldn't help but smile to himself. If he hadn't witnessed it himself then he would have thought Kunsel was exaggerating to get Zack to go over and talk to him, but when those azure eyes met his own, his whole world stopped. It was as though someone turned the music down and everyone hushed at the same moment as those baby blue eyes caught his eyes with a gentle smile playing across those pink, seductive lips.

"The Bell Tower," Zack said to himself from under his blankets. "Saturday nights around eleven."

He wondered if Kunsel would be up to going out again tonight. He snorted to himself as soon as that thought crossed his mind. _Of course _Kunsel was willing to go out again; that was a stupid question. He shook his head with a smile as his flung the covers down to the bottom of the bed, allowing the crisp morning air to wake him up fully.

He looked over at his alarm clock and grimaced at the time. He had slept away almost the entire morning. He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his cell phone, flipping it open and hitting speed dial number two.

He put the phone to his ear and listened to the ringing tone before a groggy voice answered with what Zack assumed to be a 'hello'.

"Hey Kunsel," Zack chuckled. "Did I wake you?"

"Stupid question, Zacky-pooh. Wudda ya want?"

"Don't make plans tonight, 'kay?"

Kunsel sighed over the line which was followed up by a yawn. "Why's that?"

"You told me to let you know when we can pick up together again, ya?"

Zack could almost hear Kunsel wake up the rest of the way before he chuckled. "You wanna go out again tonight?" His voice was much clearer and sounded almost eager.

"Yeah," Zack smiled at his friend. He again smiled at himself for wondering whether Kunsel would actually be up for another night out.

"Are you pursuing that blond from last night?"

Zack frowned as he listened to Kunsel shuffle around on the other side of the line. He made it sound as though he was a stalker. "Not pursue him, no…" He shook his head and rubbed his eyes with his hand. "Well, not exactly… I-" he sighed as he heard Kunsel chuckle. "I was just told that he goes to The Bell Tower on Saturday nights and wanted to check it out."

"Check _it_ out or check _him_ out?"

"Kunsel, are you in or not?"

"Yeah, yeah. Of course I'm in." Kunsel sounded fully awake now. "It'll just be the two of us tonight. I have your back if you have mine."

"Like I'd need you, but sure," Zack laughed over the line causing the other to do the same.

"Cocky bastard. So glad to have you back."

Zack smiled to himself. "Whatever. See you around ten."

-.-.-.-

The rest of the day was spent doing his household chores and thinking of the best way to approach the blond. As the day ran out and night filled in, Zack found himself growing more and more anxious about what he was about to do. He hadn't actually thought up a feasible way to talk to the blond without seeming like an idiot; it had been far too long since he'd needed to come up with a new way of meeting someone. 'Hi, I'm Zack. Let me guess, you're Hot?' Zack snorted to himself and shook his head. That's what a wingman was for and if memory served him right, him and Kunsel made one hell of a team.

Zack jumped into the shower and focused on getting clean to clear his head of the never ending thoughts of the blond. Although he would be reluctant to say that he thought about that guy all day, he couldn't think of anything else that controlled his mind.

After showered, Zack roamed into his bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He made a beeline for the closet as he began to ponder what to wear that night. Glancing at the clock, he noticed that he was running out of time and needed to get a move on if he was going to make it to The Bell Tower before ten. He knew the blond wouldn't be there until a little later, but he thought it'd be best to have a couple of drinks in him if he was going to talk to him at all that night.

He found a pair of jeans that accentuated his backside perfectly, if they still fit, and a midnight blue collared dress shirt that would serve his purpose. He couldn't remember the last time he cared so much about the way he dressed, but tonight he had motivation. After pulling on his boxers, Zack pulled on his pants. He turned around to look at himself in the mirror and grinned, turning again to check out his own ass. He sighed happily as he pulled on a black, low cut tank top followed by the dress shirt, leaving the top few buttons open to expose his toned chest.

He ran a hand through his drying hair and let his spikes fall where they may. Although his hair never did what he told it to do, it still looked good where his spikes landed. To that, he was grateful. With a splash of cologne, Zack checked for his wallet and phone before heading to the front door.

To drive or cab it? Zack thought as he pulled on his boots. The motorcycle was much more impressive but he would be drinking that night. He thought about the blond and smiled to himself. Motorcycle it was…

Zack pulled up beside the curb of the road and turned the engine off outside of the club. It was just after ten and the place was already packed. He walked to the front entrance and peered inside one of the windows, looking for a familiar face. He wondered how long it would be before the bouncer started letting people in again.

He waited for a few minutes before Kunsel popped out of the front door and waved him over. Zack smiled at him and made his way to the entrance. Kunsel shoved some cash into the bouncer's hand with a grin and the bouncer beckoned Zack in.

"It gets full early," Zack said over the loud music. "How long have you been here?"

"A few minutes," Kunsel answered. "You look great!"

Zack chuckled and shook his head. "Whatever; lets get a drink."

Kunsel and Zack made their way over to the bar and waited for the bartender to notice them. Kunsel ordered the first round and handed Zack a glass when the tender dropped two drinks in front of them.

"Are you nervous?" Kunsel asked, pulling Zack back from looking around the club.

"Yeah, actually, hence the early start." Zack answered, taking a long sip from the pint.

"What time does he show up?" Kunsel asked, grinning wickedly at his friend.

"Eleven," Zack replied, narrowing his eyes at the grin Kunsel was sporting. "What are you after tonight?"

"A fair mix of that and that." Kunsel answered, pointing out two girls on the dance floor.

Zack nodded as his eyes began scanning the dance floor. "Rate her, so I have an idea." he said, pointing out a copper-haired girl dancing with a group of her friends.

"That's about an eight; nice eye. I didn't even notice that one."

"And we're looking for?" Zack asked, feeling right at home with Kunsel all of a sudden.

"No less than a nine." Kunsel answered, eyes re-scanning the club.

Zack nodded and grinned. These were like the old days; as shallow as they were being, it was just a game and they had fun with it.

About a half an hour later and another pint, Zack found himself watching the front door more often than not. He knew that the blond probably wouldn't be there for a little while yet, but he was growing more and more nervous as time went on. His nerves becoming more apparent, Zack started drinking a little faster, Kunsel laughing from across the way as he drank just to catch up.

Zack ordered another beer at the bar and smiled at the girl standing beside him. She smiled back and battered her eyelashes. As the bartender produced her drink, Zack tossed some money on the surface and turned to the girl.

"What's your name, beautiful?" Zack asked, leaning back on the bar idly.

"Lilly," the redhead answered with a giggle. "And you are?"

"I'm Zack," he grinned. "My friend asked me to buy you a drink, actually, because he's far too shy to come over here and talk to you." he added, tilting his head in Kunsel's direction.

Lilly looked over his shoulder and narrowed her eyes. "Which one is your friend?"

Zack grinned and looked over his shoulder. "Kunsel!" he shouted over the crowd. Kunsel looked their way and raised his glass at Zack. Lilly giggled and raised her glass back to Kunsel, earning an award winning smile from him.

"That's Kunsel," Zack said as he looked back at Lilly. "He's a lot of fun and a very good friend."

"He's cute," Lilly said, biting her bottom lip. "And so are you, Zack."

Zack grinned and took a sip from his glass. "Thank you, but I'm more into people like him than people like you, if you catch my drift."

Lilly's smile widened as she looked back over at Kunsel who was still watching them hopefully. Zack could feel gratitude being shot in his direction.

"Should I go over there and talk to him?" she asked, leaning in closer to Zack so that he could hear her.

"I think he'd like that very much," Zack responded with a smile.

Lilly giggled and bit down on her straw as she thanked Zack and walked passed him towards his friend.

Zack smiled at himself as he turned around to watch her head towards Kunsel. Kunsel was smiling at her before he glanced up at Zack, who held up four fingers, signaling that Kunsel was supposed to be 'shy' and that he had sent Zack over to buy her a drink for him. Kunsel winked back with a grin.

Zack relaxed against the bar again as he downed the rest of his drink. It felt good to be back to their old habits again. He sighed to himself as he turned around to order another drink, head swimming slightly at the alcohol he had already consumed. He couldn't help but glance back towards the front entrance from time to time, looking for a particular blond that was responsible for him being there. It was nearing eleven and he still hadn't shown up.

Zack checked up on Kunsel and Lilly to find them chatting back and forth. He smiled before turning back to the dance floor. It never occurred to him that, being a regular, the blond might not even enter through the main entrance.

"Two Midgar slides and a pint. I need to get drunk!" a voice said happily to the bartender beside him.

Zack glanced to his side and almost had a heart attack to find said blond standing right next to him, ordering his first round with a wide smile. Zack blinked a few times before taking a test-breath in to make sure his lungs still worked.

While he waited for his drinks, the blond glanced around the bar, eyes lighting up the place like lanterns in a lonely forest. Impossibly bright, blue eyes travelled over the sea of people before they caught Zack's violet eyes watching him. The blond smiled at Zack before looking back towards the bartender, settling for a couple of seconds before meeting Zack's eyes again.

Baby blue eyes softened and he smiled again, lips parting slightly. Zack tried to smile back, not completely sure whether he managed one or not, before the blond bit his lower lip and received his drinks from the bartender.

Without thinking, Zack turned his back to the blond and sought out Kunsel, who was still chatting with Lilly.

Kunsel must have sensed Zack's panic because he looked over at that moment and began laughing. Zack shot him a playfully angry look before chugging back his near-full pint. Kunsel said something to Lilly, who laughed and nodded as Kunsel made his way over to Zack.

By the time Kunsel got there, the blond was paying for his drinks, looking out to the dance floor once again.

"You okay?" Kunsel asked, low enough so that only Zack could hear.

"He came out of nowhere!" Zack hissed, rolling his eyes and begging his heart to slow down.

Kunsel laughed and motioned for the bartender. "I need lots of booze over here; pronto!" he called, waving a fist full of cash in the air, earning the blond's attention. Zack remained perfectly still.

"Whadda need?" the bartender asked, eyeing the cash hopefully.

"As much of your strongest stuff this will buy," Kunsel said happily, handing his cash over to the 'tender. "All in shot form, if you'd be so kind." he added with a grin. Zack noticed Kunsel glance over his shoulder, probably at the blond, with a smile. "The poor guy hasn't been out in ages." he said to the blond, causing Zack's heart to freeze.

"I saw you guys out last night." the blond said with a smile. Zack turned around and attempted to smile at the blond as the bartender placed several shot glasses in front of them. Baby blue eyes met with Zack's again with a brilliant smile.

Zack felt drawn in by those eyes, a smile forming across the ravenet's lips and an eager anticipation growing in his stomach. The look the blond was giving him was almost provocative. Zack's interest in him increased a hundredfold.

"Did you?" Kunsel said happily. "That was his first night out in forever." he said with a coo, wrapping his arm around Zack from behind. Zack rolled his eyes before he thought it safer to watch the bartender fill the shot glasses.

"So I've heard," the blond said happily, downing his first shot. "Finally single again, ya?"

Zack glanced back up into those captivating blue eyes and grinned. "Yeah…" He couldn't bring himself to say too much more to him.

Those eyes studied him intently, lazily dragging over Zack's features, before roaming back over to the bar, downing his second shot. "Well, congratulations!"

"Thanks," Zack responded dumbly, cursing himself for not being able to utter out more than one word.

Kunsel laughed as he removed himself from Zack's shoulders. He beckoned Lilly over and smiled back at the blond. "Have a shot with us, ya?"

The blond smiled and looked over to the bartended before Kunsel shoved a shot glass into his hand. "Oh! Thanks." His eyes really did light up the room, if only in Zack's world.

Lilly joined them as Kunsel gave her and Zack a shot glass before taking one for himself. "To a night of new friends!" he said with a wide smile, tapping his glass against Lilly's then the blond's. Zack and the blond raised their glasses and tapped them together, Zack almost passing out as the blond winked at him before taking the shot. Zack took a deep breath and downed his shot, almost cringing at the burning sensation now running down his throat.

"Holy shit…" Kunsel said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He was always one for dramatic improve. "That was _strong_…" He let out a fake cough then looked at the other six full shot glasses sitting on the bar. "You two finish those off. I can't do another one of those." He patted Zack on the back just as Zack realized what Kunsel had done. He turned around to find Kunsel leading Lilly away from the bar, leaving him and the blond alone.

_Time to get your shit together, Zack…_ he thought to himself. He had picked up countless times before. He didn't know why tonight was proving to be so difficult.

"You gonna help me finish these off?" the ravenet asked the blond, earning a friendly smile.

"They're your drinks; you do with them what you like."

Zack chuckled then pushed three of the six over to the blond. "Then you're helping me."

The blond looked down briefly before blue rose again to meet Zack's. He smiled again and picked up one of the glasses just as one of his friends from the night before came up behind him and grabbed his arm. "Come dance, Cloud. I love this song!"

Zack raised his eyebrows and smiled. Getting to know his name proved to be easy enough and he was almost grateful for the interruption.

Cloud shook his head playfully and grinned. "I'm doing shots with Zack." Cloud said, pushing his friend back. Zack found the blond wildly adorable. His friend looked up at Zack and tilted his head.

"He's just helping me finish what my friend couldn't." Zack offered with a grin, receiving a smile from Cloud's friend.

"'Kay, then hurry up and get on the floor when you're done." his friend said before bouncing over to the sea of people.

Cloud turned his attention back to Zack with a smile, raising his glass and waiting for Zack to do the same. "Toast for each one; which is this for?"

Zack smiled as he picked up a glass and thought a moment. "To good friends?"

"To good friends," Cloud smiled and tapped his glass against Zack's. Both swallowed the contents with a grimace before picking up another glass.

"To good times." Cloud said, taking in a deep breath to cool the burning.

"To good times," Zack repeated as they took their second shot.

"And…" Zack thought a moment before grinning at Cloud. "For not giving a fuck."

Cloud's mouth dropped open with a amused smile and he tilted his head slightly. He paused before laughing, a sound that sent pleasant shivers down the ravenet's spine. The blond leaned forward in amusement, placing a hand on Zack's knee and chuckling before straightening up again, effectively removing his hand with a single stroke against Zack. Zack stopped breathing again for a moment as the blond's touch made his body react in a way that it really shouldn't have seeing how they didn't actually know one another.

"For not giving a fuck!" Cloud shouted over the crowd, voice still amused as he tapped his last shot against Zack's, both boys downing their drink and cringing at the feeling it left.

"Do you dance?" Cloud asked, rubbing his lower lip with his finger. Zack fought to look away before his reaction became noticeable.

"Yeah," Zack said with a smile before looking back at Kunsel who was still watching them inconspicuously.

"Come on then," Cloud said, grabbing his pint and moving away from the bar.

"In a bit," Zack responded, causing the blond to pout before it was replaced with a smile.

"You better," he said with a wink, turning around and walking towards his friends on the dance floor.

Zack ordered another pint before moving his way through the crowd towards Kunsel.

"What the fuck was that?" Kunsel asked dramatically. "Why did you not follow him?"

Zack looked back over to the blond and bit his lower lip.

"He's cute!" Lilly said, grabbing Zack by the arm and shaking him playfully. "Go dance with him."

"I…" Zack said, eyes not leaving the blond. "I don't know. Dammit, I'm such an idiot."

"You're just out of practice." Kunsel said, wrapping his arm around the ravenet. "What did he say?"

Zack shook his head and took a sip from his glass. "That I'd better make it to the dance floor tonight." He grinned now that he thought about the connotations. "Oh fuck, Kunsel… thank you!"

Kunsel grinned and patted Zack on the back. "You're welcome. I love you, but go! Get away from me and go talk to your blond!"

"Cloud," Zack said, looking back at Kunsel. "His name is Cloud."

"Cloud!" Kunsel shouted over the crowd. "Come collect Zack!" Zack's eyes widened as he threw his hand over his friend's mouth. Kunsel only laughed and shook his head. "He can't hear me over there; relax."

Zack laughed and shook his head. "Okay… okay…" He took another deep breath. "I'm gone."

Lilly giggled and gave his arm a squeeze. Kunsel wrapped his arm around her waist and winked. Zack gave them both a smile as he began moving towards the dance floor. He thought that he should be nervous at this point, but whatever it was that Kunsel had bought them was working wonders. The music blared through the speakers and the base pounded loud enough to be felt. Zack's mind began to become lost in his surroundings as his eyes focused on blond hair, weaving through the crowd towards Cloud.

His quest was abruptly interrupted as a familiar voice called out his name. He turned around to find Reno making his way through the crowd towards him. Zack's heart jumped into his throat as the redhead drew closer.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Reno asked with a smile, eyes seeming genuinely happy to see him.

Zack's body stilled as a sorrow he had almost forgotten about resumed. "I-" he started, not quite sure how to respond. "Drinking…" he blurted out, feeling incredibly stupid the second the word left his mouth.

Reno stopped in front of him with a happy smile and nodded. "Drinking is good. You coming out to dance?"

Zack suddenly remembered Cloud as he glanced over his shoulder before looking back at the redhead. "Just wandering, actually." He felt bad for hiding the fact that he was on his way to dance with another guy, even though he didn't belong to Reno anymore.

Reno nodded before looking over the crowd, eyes resting on Zack's afterwards. "Who are you here with?"

"Kunsel," Zack answered, grateful for an easy question. "He's with some girl now, so I thought I'd…" he paused before he made mention of his true intent. "Wander."

Reno looked around again and smiled when he noticed Kunsel talking with Lilly. He turned back towards Zack and tilted his head towards the bar. "Wander with me to the bar?"

Zack still felt like his body was frozen. He couldn't lie to himself; Reno looked good. Reno always had a way of dressing to catch attention and he was beyond sexy without even trying. He debated over his little dilemma: turn Reno down and go dance with that sexy little blond or give in to what he felt was natural and go grab another drink with Reno. The decision was made for him when Reno grabbed his wrist and began leading him to the bar.

Zack felt stunned as he automatically followed Reno's lead. He should have been pulling his wrist from Reno's grasp and asking him what the hell he wanted, but old habits die hard. He barely even noticed when Reno's hand shifted and gently took his hand, giving it a soft squeeze. He wouldn't fool himself into thinking that things might go back to normal between the two of them but the prospect was still tempting to think about. He felt like refusing a drink with Reno was wrong, but on the other hand, not going to Cloud felt just as wrong. He didn't belong to either of them, so why the conflicting emotions?

He snuck a peek over his shoulder to see whether Cloud had seen him but the blond was too absorbed in the music to take notice. He was grateful for that. He looked down at his hand in Reno's and felt a familiar surge of tenderness before shaking his head to rid of that thought. He and Reno were not back together; that was probably not Reno's intent. It still felt good to have his touch on his skin again, though.

Reno weaved his way through a few people standing by the bar and pulled Zack to the counter with him. He released Zack's hand with a stroke and leaned on the bar. "How have you been?" he asked softly, eyes gently scanning the ravenet's.

Zack dropped his eyes to the floor before deciding that would make him seem weak. He moved his eyes back up and searched for the bartender. "I've been fine; yourself?" He tried to keep his voice as casual as possible but wasn't too sure whether he had succeeded or not.

Reno smiled softly before looking down at his hands, adjusting the sleeve of his own shirt. "Zack…" he let out a soft breath and shook his head. "I'm sorry for… everything…" He looked back up at Zack, who was focusing on the bartender with a clenched jaw. "I was a real ass and haven't felt right since I… well, I just think…" He paused as he tried to collect his thoughts.

The bartender asked them if they needed anything, momentarily breaking the awkward pause. Reno ordered them scotch, putting cash on the bar, before looking back at Zack. "I shouldn't have done what I did and I haven't felt right about it since we broke up."

"Normally people don't feel right for doing that kind of thing, Reno." Zack responded, all of a sudden feeling slightly angry at the redhead for his infidelity. The magic of being with Reno again started to fade as reality took over. It was short-lived, though.

"I miss you," Reno said, voice lowering almost enough to not be heard.

The bartender brought them their scotch, Reno pushing a glass to Zack. Zack picked up the glass and downed it in one go. He wasn't sure what to say about Reno's confession but a warm feeling began to spread through his body. He just wasn't certain if that warmth was excitement, love, or the scotch.

"I miss you, too," he found himself saying before he could censor himself. "It hurt like hell when you left." His sense of self-censorship must have passed out from the booze. "Still hurts…"

Reno's eyes saddened before the redhead took a sip from his glass, waving the bartender over again for another round. "I'm so sorry, Zack." he said, some sort of pain obvious in his voice. "I was stupid… and I want to make it right again."

Zack couldn't bring himself to look at Reno. He was thankful when the bartender dropped a couple more glasses of scotch in front of them, taking one and sipping on it to draw out his inevitable response.

He longed to hear those words come from Reno for the past three weeks and now that he was hearing them, he didn't know how to respond. He wanted so badly to go back, to be with Reno again and pick up where they had left off. It would be nice to have the redhead waiting for him at home when he came back from a long day at work. It would be fulfilling to cook for two again and share a quiet evening in with one another, curled up on the couch as Reno made him feel like there was nothing else worth living for but Zack. With those memories came a dull ache in Zack's heart as he wondered whether he would ever be able to trust Reno again; whether he would believe the redhead if he told him that he loved him and that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

If Reno had changed his mind about their separation, Zack wondered what had happened to bring that doubt about. What happened to the _other_ guy? Zack frowned as he took another sip from his glass. Maybe Reno was telling the truth: it just didn't feel right being apart. He knew that feeling all too well.

"Zack," Reno said, catching the ravenet's eyes with such sad ones of his own. "I still love you."

Zack tried to look away but Reno had drawn him back in again. His heart swelled with love and that made him uncomfortable. How far do you go to protect your heart and when are you supposed to know when to take the chance? All that was fading now as Zack felt his spirits lift, hand clutching his drink tightly.

"Zack!" Zack was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of Kunsel's stern voice right behind him. "Oh, hi Reno." Kunsel gave Reno a curt nod. Reno smiled sadly at Kunsel before looking back at Zack. "Umm… Zack, _he's_ looking for you." Kunsel put his hand on Zack's shoulder and pulled him back from Reno slightly.

"What?" Zack asked, eyes refocusing again.

Kunsel smiled at Zack, ignoring Reno, and tilted his head towards the dance floor. Zack followed the direction which Kunsel had indicated to find Cloud dancing on the floor, big blue eyes watching the ravenet intently. When their eyes met, Cloud smiled widely and beckoned him over. Cloud's smile was contagious as Zack found himself smiling back at the blond, a new excitement replacing the heavy emotion that ruled his feelings seconds ago.

"I think he's been waiting for you," Kunsel said. "It wasn't until I noticed him looking for you before I realized that you were sidetracked." He glanced over to Reno briefly before smiling at his best friend. "I didn't mean to interrupt, but I thought you might want to know."

Zack couldn't tear his eyes away from Cloud as Reno was almost completely forgotten about beside him. The blond kept his eyes locked with the ravenet's as his body swayed gracefully to the music, even sipping from his glass without breaking the eye contact. That gesture alone caused Zack's body to stir in a way that it hadn't felt in a long time, causing his entranced stare to turn almost predatory.

"Yeah…" Zack said finally, keeping the blond's stare. "Thanks," Zack downed the rest of his scotch before looking back at Reno. "I, uh…" he shook his head and fought to not look back at the blond. "I'm sorry, Reno. I really loved you and don't think that's completely gone away yet, but I can't… go back… I-" He made the mistake of looking in Reno's eyes; the hurt found there almost breaking his heart again. He looked away, his eyes being pulled back to the blond. Cloud was still looking at him and his smile widened as it looked like he giggled when Zack's jaw went slack. "I'm just… sorry." he said, walking away towards the tempting blond. His uncertainty and hurt faded with every step he took.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: To correct what I said in the A/N for chapter one, this is actually the chapter that has the part in it from the song fic challenge, not chapter two, which only leads to it. Don't know what I'm talking about? Don't worry; it's not important. :D

Chapter three. For **KlikStar**; hope you're smiling!

-o-o-o-

Watching those blue eyes on him as he wove his way through the crowd made Zack feel like a zombie. His uncertainties and hurt from the chat he'd just had with Reno faded, replaced by nervousness and anticipation; Zack was rather enjoying the excitement he was getting from it, making him feel giddy. The blond bit his lower lip as Zack drew closer, not bothering to hide the Cheshire smile playing across his lips causing Zack to do the same.

Zack's heart pounded as he continued his trek, knowing that in mere seconds he was going to be at a complete loss of what to say or do. Luckily Cloud made it easy for him.

"Is that your ex-boyfriend?" the blond asked, not bothering to stop dancing as Zack stood in front of him.

Zack couldn't remove his eyes from the beautiful blond, knowing that he would have normally glanced over his shoulder at Reno at this moment but had no urge to do so. "Yeah…" he answered, his giddiness fading slightly causing him to rub the back of his head.

"Are you all right?" the blond asked next, eyes focusing on Zack's as he moved his drink to his other hand.

"I'm fine, thanks." Zack replied, nodding. He couldn't rid of his smile.

"Does he want you back?" Cloud asked, apparently full of questions which seemed a little odd considering how he didn't even know the situation.

This caused Zack's smile to falter. He tried to recover by looking back over his shoulder at the redhead, who was still watching him with sad eyes. Reno creased his eyebrows when their eyes met, startling Zack enough to turn back to the blond. "It doesn't matter." he said with a half smile.

Cloud smiled and took another sip from his drink, lithe body still swaying to the music. "Wanna make him jealous?"

Zack, although not able to see his own face, knew his jaw had just dropped as he stood still and stunned looking at the blond. Cloud giggled at his reaction and shook his head, causing Zack to chuckle and bite his lower lip. "What did you have in mind?" Although he scored himself an 'F' for reaction, he gave himself an 'A' for recovery.

"Dance with me," Cloud said, voice barely making it over the loud music. "We can make him plenty jealous, or if you'd rather not, we can just dance."

The two were then joined by Cloud's friends. Cloud stopped dancing, grinning wickedly as he introduced them to Zack, each smiling politely. At that moment a new song started, the crowd cheering as the beat picked up. Cloud's eyes widened as he grabbed Zack's hand and pulled him to the center of the dance floor, followed by his friends. Zack tried not to stumble as he was practically dragged by the blond. Once they reached their destination, Cloud turned around, Zack's hand still in his own as he pulled the ravenet a little closer. Zack chuckled and began to move to the music; moving to Cloud's own movements. The blond knew how to dance and he briefly wondered to himself exactly how he was going to keep up with him to prevent the blond from thinking he was a dud. With another sip of his drink, the ravenet forgot to continue to worry about that as the music took over his body.

Cloud was very much into this song; that much was obvious as the blond began to sing out the lyrics as he danced. There was something so uplifting about the blond that had Zack throwing away his inhibitions as he sang along himself. Cloud smiled as his eyes fluttered shut, body gracefully twisting to the song. Zack found himself completely entranced by this beauty that he didn't even realize that Cloud was moving closer to him, body an inch away from his own as they danced together, the blond's friends not even making it into their own private little circle.

Zack watched as he danced, observing the joy emitting from the blond as he began to really feel the effects of the alcohol. He knew he was drunk and he knew Cloud must have been as well, but that just seemed to add to the pleasant atmosphere created by the crowded dance floor. Someone from behind Cloud bumped into the blond causing him to step forward to regain balance, his body pressed up firmly against the ravenet's. Cloud's eyes flew open with a brief look of surprise before they fell back to the lighthearted happiness. He pressed his hand against Zack's chest with a giggled apology; Zack chuckled and shook his head to dismiss his apology and couldn't help but notice that the blond remained pressed up against him.

That fact caused Zack's body to tingle as Cloud moved against him, resuming his dancing and singing as if it were the most perfectly natural thing in the world to be dancing up against a total stranger. Zack kept dancing along with Cloud, but this time chose to listen to the blond sing instead of sing along himself. Cloud was obviously very much enjoying himself and he would be lying if he'd said that he wasn't getting something out of this.

Cloud's smile widened as he looked up at Zack with playful eyes. "This okay?" he asked, clenching Zack's shirt in his hand as he swayed his hips gently against Zack's.

Zack's breath hitched in his throat and he fought to regain control. He took a deep breath before smiling back with a nod. Cloud chuckled at Zack's reaction and stepped a little closer so more of their bodies were pressed up against one another in a more seductive way. "And this?" the blond asked lowly, not stopping his ministrations.

"It's good," Zack answered huskily once he was sure his voice would work properly.

Cloud reached up with the one hand that was clenched in Zack's shirt and wrapped his arm around Zack's neck as he pulled their bodies closer still. Zack took a deep breath as he felt exactly _which_ part of his body was getting the most friction and attempted to calm his breathing.

Cloud leaned up against him and nuzzled his nose against the ravenet's ear. "You smell good," he whispered, causing Zack's body to shudder involuntarily. "So good…" he said with a puff of warm air. The blond's hand holding the drink moved back causing his body to arch into Zack's as his crotch continued to grind against the ravenet's.

If Zack did accomplish getting his breathing back in check before, it was all undone at the blond's words. He couldn't believe that within one day he saw this blond, practically stalked him, had drinks with him, and was now dancing so close to him in the middle of the dance floor. Cloud pulled his head back slightly and smiled up at Zack. "He's watching us."

Zack creased his brow and tilted his head before it dawned on him what Cloud was getting at. He had completely forgotten about Reno at this point. "Oh?" he added dumbly.

Cloud chuckled and yanked Zack a little closer still, dancing against him in the most delicious way. "It doesn't matter now, no?"

Zack shook his head and smiled. It really didn't matter and right now he was right were he wanted to be. For now, anyway.

Cloud started singing along to the song again, dancing tightly up against Zack. Zack knew that if the blond didn't stop, there would be certain consequences that would allow the blond to know exactly what he was thinking about, but he couldn't muster up the strength to pull himself from Cloud's arms. He didn't think he really wanted to, anyhow.

It dawned on Zack when he watched the blond enjoy himself that he had no idea who this guy was. He was hot and his name was Cloud, but that's about all he really knew about him. How he got into the position to be dancing up against him, he couldn't remember, but he was grateful for it. All he knew was that he was having one hell of a time and the way things were going, Cloud probably knew exactly just how much of a good time the ravenet was having. It was something the blond didn't really notice at this second or care about; the blond continued to grind up against him causing an intense excitement, enough to make his jeans feel rather tight. It was as if he was intending to cause such a response.

Zack took a deep breath and wrapped an arm around the blond, keeping him close before he finally decided to just go with it. He nuzzled his nose in the soft blond spikes and inhaled a surprisingly pleasant scent. Cloud seemed to like his actions as his singing was interrupted with a purr of some sort before he buried his face in the ravenet's neck. Everything about this guy was causing Zack's body to ache and he wondered exactly where all this was headed. He knew Cloud wanted to make Reno jealous, but by the way they were moving against one another, he seemed to have an ulterior motive. Cloud seemed to be getting very much into this if the hardness in the blond's pants meant the same as his own.

Cloud kept his face buried in Zack's neck as the two moved against one another, moaning every now and again, a sound that went straight south for Zack. He couldn't help the anticipated sigh that escaped his lips as hardened flesh rubbed up against hardened flesh through the fabric of their pants.

Cloud finally lifted his head with a faint blush as his eyes widened happily. "I need a drink," he said with a grin, earning one back from Zack. Before Zack could respond much further, Cloud took his hand in his own and pulled him towards the bar.

Although he hated himself for doing it, he glanced at the crowd around the bar, looking for Reno. The redhead was still watching them with a disbelieving expression and he was insanely grateful that Cloud was bringing him to the opposite end from Reno. Reno's eyes seemed to be asking 'why?' as he watched the blond lean up against the bar, pulling Zack up close behind him so his backside was moving to the music against the ravenet's hips. He felt bad for the show they were putting on, but Cloud was creating an easy distraction for the guilt he felt at the moment.

Cloud looked back over his shoulder and smiled at Zack, causing the ravenet to again forget about Reno as he smiled back. It didn't take long for the bartender to notice Cloud.

"What'll it be, beautiful?"

"Two Midgar Slides, the drink, not the shot." Cloud answered, tugging Zack even closer behind him so that his rear rested against the ravenet's growing problem with a little more pressure.

Cloud continued to move against Zack's hips with his backside as he waited for the drinks to arrive, keeping Zack insanely interested as wave after wave of pleasure rippled through his body. He knew that Reno would be able to read his expression and know how much Zack was enjoying Cloud's company due to experience, but that wasn't something he was worried about right now. How far was he willing to let this go was something on his mind at the moment, but before he could answer himself their drinks arrived, the bartender waving away Cloud's money with a wink.

Cloud smiled and took both drinks in his hands, turning to face Zack and shoving one of the glasses into his hand.

"Thanks," Zack said with a distracted smile, eyes not able to leave the blond bombshell in front of him.

Cloud smiled and tapped his glass against Zack's before downing the entire drink in one go. Zack took his own down quickly before the glass was practically ripped from his hand, the glass replaced with soft, pink lips pressed up against his own.

From the second their lips met, Cloud began a forceful kiss, begging for entrance which was quickly granted by the ravenet. The blond forced his tongue into Zack's mouth with a moan as he explored enthusiastically. Zack's head was spinning from the suddenness of their make-out session but his body submitted to the eagerness of Cloud's kiss. It did nothing to help his growing problem in his pants as Cloud wrapped his arms around Zack's neck and pulled his body closer, rubbing up against him with subtle thrusts. Once Zack was able to respond, he kissed Cloud back fervently, wrapping his own arms around the smaller frame and holding him tightly.

The blond's tongue still held a sweet mocha taste from the drink they had just drank and Zack found himself searching for the one taste he wanted the most: the blond's. His tongue played against Cloud's as a fight for dominance broke out and Cloud's subtle thrusts became a little less subtle. He wasn't sure if it was the amount of alcohol he consumed that night or if it was just the blond, but Zack felt himself start losing control as arousal took over completely and he wanted nothing more than to take Cloud home at this very second. Reality came back, though, at the sound of Kunsel's voice.

"Whoa, whoa you two. Time out!"

Cloud and Zack broke the kiss at the same moment and looked over at Zack's friend, walking towards them.

"Take a breather, ya? What are you trying to do here, turn this into a bath house?"

Cloud giggled and looked up at Zack, whose head was still reeling at what had just happened.

"Sorry… just lost control." the ravenet stammered, grinning back down at the blond.

Kunsel laughed and shook his head. "I'm not saying that it's not a good show, but you're stealing the entire spotlight, ya? Take it elsewhere before the bouncers come for you."

Zack took a step back from Cloud, effectively removing their arms from one another before he reached up and rubbed his eyes. Cloud tilted his head with a grin and bit his lower lip.

"You wanna take it elsewhere?" the blond asked loud enough to just be heard over the music.

Zack dropped his hand and looked back at the blond, disbelieving. "Do I, uh…" he huffed before a smile crept across his face. "Yeah."

Cloud smiled and took his hand in his own, turning to say a quick 'bye' to Kunsel before leading Zack away from the bar. Zack couldn't believe what was happening to him at the moment, but the very thought of it renewed his arousal like he'd never thought possible. He had assumed all of this was for show, to make Reno jealous, and Cloud seemed to be on board for all of that, but now the blond was leading him to the back of the club. Reno wouldn't be able to see anything and he wondered if Cloud was going to just wink and say 'have a good night' before taking off home. That would be the ultimate kick in the balls, but Zack was preparing for anything seeing how he'd never thought he'd score this blond on the first night. He was hopeful, but he was trying to be realistic.

Cloud lead Zack through a couple of dark hallways towards the back exit, most likely the one he came in through, and pushed the door open to the cool, crisp night air. The night breeze did nothing to help sober Zack up; if anything, it made him feel dizzier.

Cloud let the door slam behind them and pulled Zack further down the back alleyway before Zack was roughly shoved up against the wall with more force than he thought possible coming from the blond. It was nanoseconds later before his lips were held captive by the blond's once more, their kiss resuming with as much force and eagerness as it was by the bar.

Cloud moaned loudly into Zack's mouth, causing the ravenet's body to stir wildly. The impact the sounds the blond made on Zack's body were astronomical and Zack couldn't help but groan as the blond clutched onto his shirt with need. Their bodies pressed up against one another's once again as Cloud began grinding into Zack's hips with his own. Their arousals never had a chance to go down before more friction was introduced causing a spark of pleasure to run up and down Zack's spine. Cloud seemed to be just as excited as him.

Zack couldn't keep track over how long they stood in that alleyway kissing one another, but before too long Cloud's hands began to roam over his body. They started at his chest and explored their way downward curiously before slipping under Zack's shirt and touching the skin there. Zack shivered as Cloud induced goose bumps to break out over his skin, moaning into the blond's mouth in response. Cloud seemed to like this as his hands surveyed the muscles under Zack's skin, a thumb running over Zack's stomach before they travelled further up towards his chest.

Zack's breath hitched as the blond took one of his nipples between his fingers with a gentle squeeze. He felt like he wanted to say something but the tantalizing blond in front of him was taking his breath away.

"You have a knock-out body." Cloud whispered as his lips traveled to the ravenet's throat again. Cloud let out a puff of air before he began rimming Zack's ear.

Zack still didn't have a voice. Instead, he let his hands roam over the blond's body, wasting no time before slipping his hands underneath Cloud's shirt. His skin was so soft and the blond shivered as his hands glided over Cloud's lean sides.

The blond moaned from Zack's touch before he began scratching lines down the ravenet's stomach. They didn't stop when they reached his pants, quickly busying themselves with his belt. Zack's head whirred as things seemed to be moving along much more quickly than he was used to, but he knew one thing for sure: he didn't want it to stop.

Cloud made quick work of his belt and began tugging at the pants' buttons. The blond leaned up and captured Zack's lips immediately, his tongue delving into the ravenet's mouth. Zack's hand began to lower to the blond's pants but he was stopped as the blond abandoned his pants and grabbed his wrists. Zack opened his eyes and looked at the blond, who had pulled away from the kiss suddenly.

Cloud was panting and Zack found himself licking his lips at the tasty sight in front of him. Cloud gave him a sly grin before roughly pinning his arms against the wall behind him. "Stay still." the blond whispered, his grin widening.

Zack was unable to say anything as he watched baby blue eyes flick down to his pants before traveling up his body again before meeting his eyes once more. Zack's chest heaved as arousal caused his body to tremble.

Cloud's hands left Zack's wrists after giving them a firm squeeze and traveled back to his pants where they unfastened his pants and shoved them down the ravenet's thighs. The cool night air was felt on overheated skin but did nothing to lessen Zack's arousal. He found it exhilarating. He watched as the blond smiled, looking down at the bulge in Zack's boxers then looked up to meet his own violet eyes. Cloud bit his lower lip and pressed himself up against Zack's body, hips barely touching the ravenet's erection.

"Gods, you're sexy." the blond whispered, leaning up and placing a delicate kiss against Zack's lips, pulling away from the ravenet's lips before he had a chance to deepen the kiss. "I want to make you feel good."

Zack panted and almost glared into Cloud's eyes. He didn't know what Cloud was planning but he was under the instruction to stay still so he watched the blond with anticipation.

"I don't know what's come over me…" the blond said, his lips forming a small frown before it was transformed into a smirk. "I can't help myself." Cloud let out a small sigh and looked into Zack's eyes. "I want…"

Zack watched as Cloud paused and hid those baby blues behind his lids. He chanced moving one hand to stroke the blond's side but Cloud moved his hand back against the wall, keeping a hold on the ravenet's wrist for a moment to reiterate his request.

"Let me make you feel good." Cloud said again, opening his eyes and looking up at Zack. "Don't move. I want to make you cum."

Zack's breath hitched in his throat and a flash of heat ran over his body. His body shook slightly from the inside and his head swirled from a mixture of intense excitement and booze. He wanted to say something but all words were lost when he felt a gentle caress against his erection, the blond's fingers stroking it lightly through the fabric of his boxers. Zack moaned quietly as Cloud's forefinger and thumb outlined his arousal from base to tip then back down again.

"Impressive." Cloud whispered, looking down between their bodies at the bulge he was fondling. His fingers continued to caress Zack's cock and Zack couldn't help but watch as the blond ran his tongue along his lips, putting on a show without even knowing it. The blond opened his mouth slightly then palmed Zack's length and began rubbing it with more pressure than he used with his fingers.

Zack couldn't help but groan at the change of sensation and involuntarily bucked into the blond's palm once before stilling himself. Cloud seemed to enjoy both Zack's reaction and the fact that he was staying still like he told him to. He grinned. "You're so big." the blond whispered. He gave Zack's cock a firm squeeze before moving both hands to the waistband of the boxers. "This okay?" he asked, stilling his hands once his fingers were hooked on Zack's boxers.

Zack exhaled sharply before nodding his head. Did Cloud actually think he was going to say no?

Cloud smiled and lowered Zack's boxers, bringing them down to his thighs where his pants rested. Zack's cock stood tall and hard, reaching up on his bare stomach. The cool night air wracked his body, causing him to shiver but that did nothing to lessen the excitement. Zack thought briefly to pull his shirt down but decided against it.

Cloud grinned and took a couple of steps back, eyes surveying the man in front of him, up against a wall with his pants and boxers pulled down around his thighs. Cloud's eyes met Zack's and he smiled. The blond took in the sight as his smile widened. "Feeling vulnerable?"

Zack's eyes snapped up to meet Cloud's with confusion. "Umm…" the ravenet thought for a moment. "Now that you bring it up, uh… yeah."

Cloud chuckled and shook his head. "You look amazing right now."

Zack sighed and attempted to steady his breathing. "Thanks, but, umm… are you coming back over here?"

Cloud gave him a lop-sided grin. "I'm not dashing out on you, if that's what you're thinking." His eyes roamed over the man's strong, half-naked body. "I'm just admiring what I see."

Zack fought the urge to reach down and pull his pants back up. He did feel slightly uncomfortable being ogled by such a cute guy; such a cute, completely dressed guy while his own body was exposed. He stayed quiet, though. There was a certain bashfulness in Cloud's expression that said the blond wasn't used to this type of situation and he wanted to take it all in. So, instead, Zack stood still.

Cloud's eyes became heavy as he took a couple of steps back towards Zack, his mouth going slack before he leaned up once more for an all-consuming kiss. His body moved against Zack's in a careful way to not hurt the jutting erection and Zack moaned at Cloud's body heat against his exposed skin.

Cloud seemed to appreciate the moan as he moaned back into Zack's mouth and his body pressed closer against Zack's. Zack fought the urge to wrap his arms around the blond, instead, he leaned his head forward to deepen the kiss. In the back of his mind, he wondered if they were actually going to do this in a dark alley behind the bar where they met. He had half a mind to suggest he bring Cloud back home, but he really didn't want to break the kiss; didn't want to lose the tongue that was stroking his own so seductively.

Cloud had other plans, though, and Zack bit back the groan as the blond pulled away from their kiss, panting heavily and eyes fluttering shut. With his eyes closed, Cloud's hands ran up Zack's stomach again before dragging down his body, resting on the ravenet's hips. Zack's eyes searched Cloud's expression and found arousal and a sense of nervousness. He studied him until impossibly big, blue eyes revealed themselves again.

Cloud's eyes bore into Zack's, his lips slightly parted and panting, before a small smile appeared. A wet tongue swiped pink lips as Cloud moved closer for a kiss. Before Zack's lips could capture Cloud's, the blond slowly dropped to his knees, placing a lingering kiss against the ravenet's stomach.

All air fled Zack's lungs and he held perfectly still as the blond continued to kiss his way, slowly, teasingly, towards Zack's weeping erection. The ravenet couldn't move as he watched Cloud's lips move along his body. His legs almost felt ready to give out.

Cloud placed a nip on Zack's hip before looking up at the ravenet, who grasped at the sight. His lungs begged for oxygen but he couldn't be bothered to fulfill such a request at this time. His cock throbbed and he fought the urge to thrust.

Cloud placed a hand on the base of Zack's erection and with gentle fingers pulled his cock away from the ravenet's hard body. With one last lick of the lips, Cloud placed a kiss against the tip before taking it in his mouth.

Zack's breath stuttered as he inhaled and he lolled his head back against the wall, which was now supporting all of his weight. His body trembled as a gentle pressure was applied to his cock and he felt it slowly slide deeper into Cloud's mouth.

Pleasure rippled through the ravenet's body as Cloud began a steady pace, the feeling almost too intense to absorb. It had been a while since Zack was with anyone and, even then, he was used to seeing red hair bobbing over his cock. The bright blond's motions added a sense of unfamiliarity which sent lightening heat through every nerve in his body. He didn't realize he was thrusting forward with his hips until the blond placed a hand against his firm stomach and pushed him back against the wall, not stopping from sucking on the hard length pressed up against his tongue.

Zack let his head loll back against the wall and closed his eyes. He let out his breath in a slow, deep exhale and felt his skin form goose bumps from Cloud's attention. He no longer noticed the cool night air against his skin but was acutely aware of Cloud's body heat against his hips and groin. The blond's mouth was so hot and wet against his cock and it took a certain amount of restraint not to move, to just enjoy what Cloud was doing to him.

After a few moments Cloud picked up his pace and started bobbing his head more quickly as his tongue ran against the underside of Zack's cock. His smooth hands ran up Zack's thighs and scratched their way back down until they reached his pants before riding up again. Zack let out a moan and couldn't help thrusting into Cloud's mouth gently as shivers of pleasure coursed through his body. Cloud was good at this, a thought that hardly had time to run its course before the blond gently fondled Zack's balls with one hand and gave them a gentle squeeze.

Zack's eyes rolled back and his eyelids became too heavy to hold open. He groaned as he laid his head back against the cold wall and began thrusting into Cloud's mouth to the pace Cloud was setting. His cock felt like it swelled fuller in Cloud's mouth as the blond continued to play with his sac and the ravenet briefly wondered if he was going to be able to keep from slumping to the ground, weak from pleasure.

As if Cloud heard that fleeting thought and decided to challenge him, the blond gripped Zack's shaft, the amount he couldn't fit down his throat, with one hand and with his other, tugged gently on his balls. He used one finger, after gathering some saliva from his mouth, and began gently stroking the other man's perineum; the strip of skin between his balls and ass. Zack gasped at the intense sensation as his knees buckled. He fought to keep upright but felt a tremor like lightning quake his body. Cloud moaned as the first spurt of precum was released from Zack's throbbing erection, a noise creating the vibration that started Zack on a string of endless curses and moans.

Cloud gave a small smile before slipping Zack's cock out of his mouth. Zack barely had time to look down at the blond before Cloud arched lower, taking the ravenet's balls in his mouth, using one hand to stroke Zack's rock-hard erection. Zack let out a small whimper at the powerlessness he felt but dared not to move to preserve the extreme pleasure. He was still from it and couldn't even bring himself to thrust into Cloud's firm fist.

The blond sucked on his balls so softly before his pink tongue ventured lower, flicking across the delicate skin behind the ravenet's sac. Zack groaned and resumed thrusting again before a familiar sensation began building in the pit of his stomach.

"Oh, Gods…" Zack moaned, hands balling into fists as he fought against the urge to grab the blond's head and fuck it like nothing else.

Cloud moaned in response, continuing to apply a gentle pressure to the load in his mouth while his tongue stroked Zack's perineum with more urgency. His hand beat wildly along the length of the ravenet's weeping cock, its motion slicked by the dripping precum.

"C-Cloud… I'ma… Mghn…" Zack panted, trying to formulate a simple sentence which was derailed as pleasure mounted, orgasm seconds away. "I'ma… Cloud, you need… stop…"

Cloud released Zack's balls with a wet, sloppy sound and arched up, taking Zack's cock in his mouth again, one hand flat against Zack' stomach, pushing him against the wall, and the other finding his balls again, gently tugging and massaging them as he sucked the swollen erection powerfully.

Zack cried out at the change in sensation and started thrusting wildly into Cloud's mouth. He didn't want to lose it just yet as Cloud would need taking care of as well, but the blond seemed adamant to get him off, so who was he to complain? Zack panted heavily before his breath hitched in his throat and he knew it was beginning.

"Cloooud…" the ravenet breathed, his pitch picking up until it was released as a cry out in the night. He kept his hands to his sides and his head slammed back into the wall as his orgasm took him like a tidal wave. Lightning coursed through his body and his thrusts became jerky as he came into the waiting mouth, Cloud drinking every drop as Zack's cock continued to blast its seed deep into his throat.

It took a moment before the ravenet could regain enough control to move, and when he did, he looked down at the blond, who was looking up at him with a soft smile playing across his lips. Zack gave a panted chuckle before standing up straight again. He reached down and took Cloud's hands before pulling the smaller man up. He pulled Cloud close and wrapped his arms around him.

At first, Zack was surprised at his intimate gesture considering he'd only just met the guy, but there was something about Cloud that made him want to be closer; closer, and not just for the physical gratification.

Cloud buried his face in the strong chest and Zack did the same in the mane of blond spikes. He inhaled Cloud's scent before feeling Cloud's own erection pressed firmly against his thigh.

"Payback's not always a bitch, you know." the ravenet whispered in the blond's ear, his grin giving his words an edge distinct enough to practically see.

Cloud chuckled and pulled back slightly, only as far away as Zack let him before the ravenet's arms prevented further retreat. "No need to pay me back. That was my gift to you."

"Gift?" Zack asked, eyes meeting baby blue with question.

"Yeah," Cloud said with a grin, licking his lips before continuing. "Welcome back to single life. Congrats."

Zack raised one brow before slowly shaking his head. "What if I want to… make _you_ feel good, too?" He reached down and started stroking Cloud's erection through his pants.

The blond moaned slumping closer to Zack's body before shaking his head. He straightened his back and took a step back. Zack's arms were still holding him close. "I can't tonight." The words came out of the blond's lips tinged with genuine regret. He looked disappointed.

"Can't tonight?" Zack asked, tilting his head. "I don't understand."

Cloud's eyes looked sad and he took in a deep breath. "Not tonight, but I'll see you around?"

Zack narrowed his eyes and let his hands drop to his sides before he came off needier than he wanted. _See you around?_ Did the blond plan on running into Zack like this again after tonight? "I just…" Zack started. "I didn't mean for this to be all one-sided. Kinda feel like a jerk…"

Cloud chuckled once again and shook his head. His smile illuminated the alleyway. "Oh Gods, please don't feel bad." Cloud ran a finger down the side of Zack's face. "I wanted to do this for you tonight." His smile grew wider. "And it was amazing."

Zack grinned and bit his lower lip. "I may have a biased opinion, but I thought so, too."

Cloud laughed softly before nodding. "So, I'll see you around, then?"

Zack felt as though he was dazed. He opened his mouth but was only able to utter a 'yeah' before he was at a loss of what to say. Cloud grinned at the stunned ravenet before leaning close, placing a warm, wet, yet chaste kiss against Zack's lips. Zack reciprocated and felt his heart skip several beats before Cloud drew away slowly. Their lips remained millimeters apart, the air between them becoming humid and heavy. Cloud leaned forward for another wet kiss before taking several steps back.

Zack could only watch as the blond angel left him alone, pants down, in the cool, dark alleyway.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Chapter four. For **KlikStar**.

-o-o-o-

Zack sighed silently to himself as he packed up his IT kit and stuffed it into his work duffle bag. He stood up straight and rolled his shoulders before looking over his shoulder at the smiling woman whose laptop he'd just serviced.

"Anything else I can help you with before taking off?" he asked politely, offering a friendly smile.

"No, thank you." she said, her smile widening. "And thank you so much for fixing this old thing for me."

Zack grinned and started towards her door. "No problem. Give us a call if it starts acting up again." He leaned over to pull on his boots before standing up straight. "There's a six month warranty on the work, so if you need anything, just give us the reference number on the form and we'll be back to take care of everything."

She smiled again and nodded.

On his drive back to the office, Zack leaned his head against his hand, arm propped on the company car door. The open windows provided a cool air current which kept him alert as he made his way through downtown traffic. The sun was almost blindingly bright, which would have made driving uncomfortable had he not thought ahead and brought his sunglasses with him before leaving his office.

Downtown clutter and crawlingly-slow traffic provided a busy-body soundtrack to his drive back to work, something the ravenet rather enjoyed. He opted to turn off the radio in lieu of taking in the sights and sounds of the city he rarely got to see this time of day. It made him feel as though he were part of the scene and not just driving through it. It gave him a sense of freedom that was so rare on weekday afternoons that almost caused his stomach to flutter with excitement.

Zack licked his lips before sitting up straight again, both hands taking the wheel. There was no sense of imagining he actually was free like that because it would only cause disappointment once he parked the car in his office's parking lot once he got back. Zack glanced at a small group having a patio lunch at one of the many small lunch spots. They were laughing and taking loud enough so he could hear their voices but not loud enough so he could hear what they were saying. Zack sighed to himself again and focused on the road ahead.

It had been three days since he went out with Kunsel and ended up getting a blow job by the gorgeous blond in the back alley. The memory caused his body to tingle and a small smile to form on his lips, but he dispelled the thought. He was amazingly disappointed Sunday morning when he realized that he'd never thought to get Cloud's phone number or make definite plans to 'bump into each other' again. It was all left up to chance now and he hoped that by showing up at the same bars Friday and Saturday night he would see Cloud again. His disappointment at failing to think ahead still agitated him as he shook his head to himself. "Damn you, Fair…" he said to himself quietly as he took a right turn.

One detail he was trying to forget about Saturday night was running into Reno. After the initial shock of seeing the redhead again faded, he felt heavy while they sat at the bar together. Reno, even going so far as to tell Zack he wanted him back, looked so delicate which was such a rare thing to witness. It tugged at Zack's heart that the redhead realized his mistake and Zack so easily brushed him off when Kunsel interrupted. With Cloud waiting for him, it was almost too easy to walk away from Reno but thinking about it afterwards, Zack felt so completely horrible. He could not imagine what Reno was feeling as he laid his heart out for the ravenet only to have it shoved back at him before being forced to watch the object of his affection grind and grope another man on the dance floor.

The thought of it made Zack's stomach drop and he wanted nothing more than to take it all back. He couldn't say he would have accepted Reno's apology, but he wouldn't have put on such a display with Cloud. He didn't regret going out into the alley with Cloud but they could have made their intentions a little more discrete. And as his mind had been doing since Sunday morning, Zack mentally scowled at his compassion towards Reno. Hadn't Reno broken _his_ heart first? Hadn't Reno cheated on _him_? It wasn't the other way around. Still, Zack didn't like it that he was the one to cause pain, no matter who it was to.

This guilt churned in his head over and over until he parked the company car. He turned off the ignition and slumped back into the driver's seat. His eyes stared at the brick wall in front of him, unseeing of the texture or shadows dancing across the surface from the trees and light poles behind him. Idly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his personal cell phone and looked at the display. With a short shake of the head, he dialled a number he knew intimately but which he hadn't called for several weeks. He put the phone to his ear and took a deep breath.

"Zack, hi!" the familiar voice said over the line, a nervous excitement very apparent in his voice.

"Hey Reno," Zack said, his voice low and unsure. "How are you?" _Lame, yes, but what else am I suppose to say?_

"I'm, uh… all right, I suppose. How are you?" Reno answered, his voice careful and calculating.

Zack sighed and swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm okay, but I really wanted to talk to you about last Saturday." Zack's mind felt like it was racing for an explanation; so fast that he couldn't keep up. "And say I'm sorry about what happened. I was a jerk and-"

"No. No, it's okay." Reno cut in quickly. "I was sort of a dick for bringing that up when I did. I was sort of a dick for bringing it up at all, actually, seeing how…" He paused for a brief time before continuing. "How… After what I did…"

Zack hesitated before responding. Reno was right, after all. Reno hurt him so Zack shouldn't feel bad for not hearing him out, but Reno seemed genuinely sorry and he'd only wanted to tell Zack that he still loved him. "I don't want you to feel bad about talking to me at the bar." Zack paused, searching for the right words. "I guess I kinda needed to hear that and I… don't know how I feel about it."

"Zack," Reno's voice was soft and gentle. "I love you. I'm not asking for you to jump back into things with me this instant, but I really want you to know that… what I did… back then… that's over and I'm sick to my stomach about the mistake I made." Although Zack couldn't see it, he could hear it in the redhead's voice that he was tearing up. "I miss you, Zack. Please, let me take you out for dinner. It doesn't have to be a date, but-"

"Reno," Zack interrupted. "I don't know right now."

Reno was silent for a moment before speaking. "Is it because of that guy from the bar?"

Zack swallowed again and sighed quietly to himself. "No."

"Then because-" Reno started before Zack interrupted again.

"Because I'm not sure how I feel about this whole thing yet." His sentence ended abruptly as he almost lost his voice. He cleared his throat and calmed his breathing. "Reno, I'm not over you or what you did yet. I don't want to… I need to think things through…"

"It's been over three weeks." Reno said, voice more under control than it was previously.

"Yeah, it has." Zack said, voice matching Reno's. "But I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with you before you started sleeping around." He couldn't hide the building anger.

"Gods, Zack… I'm so sorry… I want to make it up to you for the rest of-"

"Stop…" Zack couldn't hear the rest of what Reno had to say. It was a dagger to his heart. "I called to say I am sorry for Saturday and the way I acted. I didn't mean to rub it in your face and… I'll see you around." An image of Cloud flashed before Zack's eyes. _"So, I'll see you around, then?" came the blond's soft voice. __With a grin, Cloud kissed him tenderly before walking away._

"Yeah… When?" Reno asked, dispelling Cloud's image from Zack's mind.

Zack's heart was racing and he wasn't sure if it was because of Reno or Cloud. "I'm not sure… I'll call you."

"Thanks, Zack." Reno said, his voice sounding soft. "I really needed to hear from you again."

Zack bit his lower lip and nodded before disconnecting the call. He sat in the car, eyes once again staring at the wall in front of him. "What are you doing?" he asked himself.

"What are you doing?" Kunsel practically yelled from outside the driver's side door, making sure to knock on the glass loudly. Zack jumped and uttered a curse under his breath as he glared out the window at his grinning best friend. "Ha ha! Made you jump!"

"Grow up…" Zack muttered loud enough for Kunsel to hear before getting out of the car.

"Who was that?" Kunsel asked, eyes flicking to the phone still in Zack's hand before meeting violet eyes.

Zack licked his lips before shoving the phone back into his pocket. "I'm sorry. Didn't realize I needed to log all of my personal calls with you."

Kunsel grinned and shook his head. "No, you don't need to, but I ask out of concern. You looked depressed and I am afraid that a certain redhead may be the cause of that."

Zack's eyes met Kunsel's and instantly Kunsel understood.

"Dude, why'd you call him?"

Zack's eyes looked down to the pavement. "To apologize for how I acted on Saturday."

"Umm… Last time I checked it was okay for a single man to get a blow job in the alley with some hot _thang_." Kunsel paused a moment. "Well, indecent exposure and public displays of sexual activity is frowned upon, but that's none of Reno's concern." Kunsel frowned and shook his head at the ravenet who was still looking down. "Zack, he cheated on you-"

"I know…" Zack interrupted.

"I know you know, Zack, but you really need to hear this." Kunsel put his hand on Zack's shoulder and pulled him a step closer. "Reno cheated on you. Reno took advantage of your trust and went off with another man. Reno hurt you." He tugged Zack a little closer. "Now listen to me and listen carefully. He let you go and as painful as that is, he made you a single man. What you do from here on out is none of Reno's business and if you want to pursue Cloud, you are free and clear to do it."

"I don't want to hurt Reno." Zack interjected before Kunsel cut him off.

"Reno hurt you, Zack. You didn't hurt Reno. Reno decided he wanted to be with someone else." Kunsel swallowed hard. Zack's eyes were beginning to brim with tears and the sight tore Kunsel's heart. "Whatever you do now, it doesn't matter if it hurts Reno because it's happening _because_ of _him_. He did this to himself and he can't ask you to not see anyone because it might hurt his feelings."

"He still loves me." Zack said trying to hide a sniffle.

"Yeah, he realizes his mistake after the fact." Kunsel ran his hand down Zack's arm and took the ravenet's hand. "The fact remains that he betrayed your trust and broke your heart." Kunsel let this settle in for a second before continuing. "Zack, I know you don't like it when your actions cause others pain. You're an amazing guy; so caring and sensitive, but don't put your life on hold for someone who took advantage of those qualities."

Zack swallowed and nodded his head. He looked up at his best friend and gave a small smile. "Okay."

"Okay?" Kunsel confirmed with a smile and slung his arm around the ravenet's shoulders when Zack nodded.

Zack felt immensely better after the talk he had with Kunsel and his best friend was taking his zaniness down a notch or two as he spent time with Zack, systematically lifting his spirits and preparing to catch the ravenet if his mood dipped at all. Zack knew Kunsel was keeping him busy solely to make him feel better and Zack loved him for it. It was certainly helping and Zack never felt so happy since before Reno left.

The week passed by with lunch "dates" and pool games at a nearby pool hall with Kunsel. Even being alone at home at night didn't bother Zack so much anymore because Kunsel always had him thinking about the next day and what they were going to do together. On Friday evening, Kunsel made plans to revisit The Lookout, the bar they went to last Friday. Zack smiled at him and nodded, knowing full well that Kunsel was helping him 'run into' Cloud again without the ravenet asking for his help.

Zack smiled to himself as he washed up his supper dishes. After a few days with Kunsel and his constant barrage of positivity and hopeful plans, Zack found it easier to think about Reno without feeling guilty. It still hurt to think about what could have been had Reno been faithful, but Zack wasn't dwelling on it now.

With that thought, Zack pulled out his cell phone and dialled Reno's number. The redhead answered with a controlled cheerfulness before Zack told him that things between them wouldn't work out. A brief conversation followed with Zack explaining that he didn't think he could be able to fully trust Reno again and that it was time to cut their losses and move on. As if echoing Kunsel, Zack told Reno that what happened, happened and Zack was going to start moving forward without guilt. Reno was quiet on the other end of the line but Zack fought the urge to make it all better for him. They said their goodbyes and Zack disconnected the call with a heavy heart. He bit his lower lip as he looked down at the phone and took a deep breath. As if by chance, the screen lit up and Kunsel's name appeared on the display.

"Hey, handsome!" Kunsel chimed. "I'm heading to the bar now, so I'll see you there?"

Zack grinned at his refrigerator. "Yeah, I'm heading out in minutes. See you there."

"Coolio! Dress hot!" Kunsel added before hanging up.

Zack decided to take his motorcycle again on the off chance that he would be taking someone, namely, Cloud, back home, but he wasn't expecting anything. Best not get his hopes up in case nothing panned out.

He met up with Kunsel at a table and grinned at a few of his other friends as he took his seat. He was greeted warmly and the ravenet suspected that Kunsel had told them to keep things upbeat as Zack was getting over a broken heart.

A waitress dropped a beer in front of him before he could get fully settled and Kunsel gave him a wink. Zack smiled and took a sip. "I called Reno before coming here." he started, earning the table's full attention. No one spoke, everyone waited. "I told him things won't work out between us, that I'm not willing to try, and that I'm moving on."

Kunsel suppressed a smile and nodded his head. "How do you feel about that?"

"Surprisingly good." Zack said softly, taking another sip from his pint. "I feel free and… albeit guilty, I'm not upset about it or anything." He took a deep breath.

Kunsel let his smile show and held up his pint. "To Zack, our dear friend, and the next chapter in his life." Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them against each others' before taking a sip.

Zack grinned and nodded before taking a look around the bar. It was still a little early for the blond's arrival but he couldn't help but look for him nonetheless.

"He's not here." a voice said from over Zack's shoulder.

Zack looked at Kunsel, rolling his eyes, before looking back at Ollie. "Who's not here?"

"The blond you hooked up with last weekend." Ollie answered, taking a seat next to Zack. "He wouldn't be here this early, it's only nine thirty, but I've already looked around for him when I saw you come in."

"Wait, what?" Zack started, narrowing his eyes. "What makes you think I hooked up with him?"

Ollie grinned and took a sip from his whiskey glass. "I saw you two at The Bell Tower last Saturday night. Things looked like they were getting pretty hot and heavy between the two of you. Then you exited through the back door with him."

"Ollie," Kunsel started, his voice sounding somewhat agitated. "Why must you act like the paparazzi all the time?"

Ollie shrugged and smiled at Zack. "Peoples' lives interest me."

"Well, I didn't take him home." Zack said, hoping that would derail Ollie enough to stop the stories from spreading.

"He take you home?" Ollie asked, turning in his seat so he was facing Zack.

"No." Zack said bluntly. "But thanks for rubbing it in." He wanted to lay it on thick and sound embarrassed so the truth wouldn't be unveiled.

Ollie was quiet for a moment to process the information before Kunsel jumped in. "Touchy subject. On to brighter things." Here, Kunsel launched into a conversation about work, girls, or sports, Zack wasn't sure. Zack was just grateful that Kunsel redirected the course of the previous conversation.

Zack could see that Ollie was still thinking about what had happened last weekend between the ravenet and Cloud. It irritated Zack to no end that Ollie pried the way he did and he wished he could speak his mind about the interest the guy took in other peoples' private lives, but he wasn't about to start an argument when he was suppose to be out having fun with friends. If only Ollie would leave, all would be good.

Zack, avoiding looking at Ollie at all costs, couldn't contribute to the conversation that was taking place at the table as his thoughts were otherwise preoccupied. Aside from Ollie, sitting quietly beside him, he was a little nervous about seeing Cloud again. He wanted to, his nerves not being from sheer impulse to see the blond again, but from what he was feeling for Cloud. Be it infatuation or just plain attraction, Cloud had a hook in the ravenet and Zack didn't mind one bit.

As the night drew on, Zack became more restless at the absence of the blond. He couldn't help but look around the bar more and more as time continued to tick away. Kunsel had tried several times to pull Zack into a conversation, but the ravenet hardly contributed two 'yeah's and a brief nod before his eyes began searching the bar again. Ollie, who was still sitting beside Zack, also noticed this and remained uncommonly quiet as he made like he was chatting it up with the guys while his eyes watched Zack in almost fascination.

Zack couldn't help but wonder, as the night gave way to morning, whether Cloud had decided that last weekend was a mistake and now chose to avoid the bars where he saw Zack. Those thoughts could be attributable to a general negativity since the ravenet was disappointed from not seeing the blond, but he couldn't help but think that might actually be a possibility. Zack's heart sunk in his chest and he tried not to show too much in the way of a reaction to the tightening in his chest of maybe never seeing the blond again, his mind running away with all sorts of bad thoughts as he grew fidgety in his seat.

A hand on his shoulder drew the ravenet from his thoughts as he looked up to find Kunsel standing next to him, looking down at him with a frown. Zack hadn't even noticed Kunsel get up from his seat, let alone walk right up next to him. Zack couldn't hide his frown and Kunsel gave his shoulder a squeeze before nodding towards the bar. Zack sighed as he watched Kunsel make his way over, standing up himself, and seeing the others chatting away as though nothing was amiss.

Zack followed Kunsel and leaned back against the bar. "What's up?"

"What's up, indeed." Kunsel said, eyes flickering from the bartender, to Zack, then back to the bartender.

Zack looked down to the ground with a frown then shook his head. "I'm fine." He looked up at Kunsel and gave a grin.

Kunsel looked back into Zack's eyes and raised his eyebrows. "You either are depressed about your conversation with Ollie, an insult to injury - the fact that he's still sitting next to you; you're disappointed that Cloud isn't here tonight; or you've just realized Reno's here and are dying to bolt without looking like a coward."

Zack's eyes widened and he felt a tremble run the length of his body. "Wha-?"

Kunsel turned to face Zack and tilted his head. "I'll do whatever you want me to, okay? If you wanna scram, we'll find another bar together. If you want to stay, I'll stay right beside you."

Zack clenched his jaw and couldn't help but look around the bar, looking for red. His eyes almost caught onto the site of Reno immediately, chatting with a guy at a table across the dance floor.

"Zack?" Kunsel took Zack's wrist in his hand and tugged.

"I'm…" Zack's voice was low and far away. He exhaled and narrowed his eyes on the guy Reno was talking to, not recognizing him. He turned around and looked into Kunsel's eyes, the concern he found within his best friend causing his chest to tighten further. He looked down at his wrist in Kunsel's hand then shook his head. "If he's picking up tonight, I'm…" He paused and swallowed hard.

"I understand." Kunsel said. "Regardless of what happened between you two, you're not ready to see that. Lets get out of here, okay?"

Zack sighed and nodded his head. He looked over at their table and found Ollie watching Reno closely, his mouth open slightly as he was trying to interpret what was going on between the redhead and this new boy, no doubt. This made Zack angry.

"Just the two of us." Kunsel asked, running his hand up Zack's forearm and resting it on the ravenet's elbow. "Come on. Lets go talk."

Kunsel left Zack at the bar when he went back to the table to tell the others that he was taking Zack somewhere else, declining the company of the other boys as they offered to come along. 'Best friend time', he called it, before dropping cash on the table to pay for what he and Zack already drank. He then made his way back to Zack, who was watching Reno intently, gently took his elbow, and led him out of the bar.

Zack followed Kunsel's car on his motorcycle as his friend took them to a quiet, hole-in-the-wall bar a few blocks away. They grabbed a table in a darkened corner and ordered a pitcher. They were quiet for a moment or two before Kunsel took the lead.

"It's okay to feel what you're feeling."

Zack's violet eyes glanced back into his friend's before he looked back down at the table. "I said I was fine about this whole Reno thing; that I felt a bit guilty but I didn't feel bad." Zack shook his head. "I thought that was true."

"Of course it's true." Kunsel said firmly. "That doesn't mean you'll be okay watching him meet other guys. It just means that you're okay with your break-up, but you two have a very intertwined past so you'd be nothing short of heartless to be all right watching him hook up with someone else."

Zack clenched his jaw for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. "Now I know how Reno felt when he saw me with Cloud last weekend."

Kunsel gave a small smile and nodded his head. "Yeah, he probably did feel a little like you do now." He took a deep breath and licked his lips. "But this is something the two of you have to go through since you aren't together anymore. It'll take time, but I promise it'll get better." He paused before tapping his finger on the table. "It'll probably always stir something inside of you when you see him with someone else, but it'll become more bearable with time. He's going to feel the same way when he sees you with someone else, too. It's called being human. You already know that you and Reno don't work together, so this is something you need to go through."

Zack nodded and poured two glasses from the pitcher. He took a long sip and watched the waitress with feigned interest. "Thanks for coming with me."

Kunsel snorted and shook his head. "I'm your best friend, Zack. Don't say stupid things like that." His eyes grew serious and he smiled. "There's nothing you'll ever have to go through alone."

Zack gave a small smile and shook his head. "And you say I'm the homo."

Kunsel gave a hearty laugh. "If it's gay to love your best friend, then I guess I'm the gayest there ever was."

Zack laughed and looked down at the table as the waitress came back to the table. "Can I get you guys anything to eat?"

Kunsel smiled and tilted his head at the waitress. "Answer me this, lovely: do you think my friend here is hot?"

The burgundy-eyed, brunette looked at Zack with a smile and put her hands on her hips. "Why, I think he's amazingly hot."

Zack felt a blush creep up on his cheeks and shook his head. "Kunsel…"

"And should he ever have to worry about finding someone who will love him immensely?" Kunsel asked the young girl cheerfully.

The waitress brushed her bangs away from her eyes with a widened smile and shook her head. "Not ever, in my professional opinion. If I were single, I'd ask him out."

"Kunsel, cut it out…" Zack murmured.

"And if you were a guy, he'd probably say yes." Kunsel added for good measure so the girl wouldn't think they were a couple of creeps. "See, Zack? You'll bounce back in no time!"

The girl smiled and nodded. "Let me bring you boys some appetizers, on the house." With that, she turned her back and made for the kitchen.

"She's cute." Kunsel noted once they were alone again.

"She's spoken for." Zack threw in.

"She's friendly." Kunsel backtracked with a grin. "So, what about this blond of yours?"

"What about him?" Zack asked, taking another sip from his glass.

"Can I assume we're headed to The Bell Tower tomorrow night?" Kunsel asked with a grin.

Zack thought a moment and sighed. "I don't know…"

"What?" Kunsel almost shouted before lowering his voice. "Why not?"

"I'm…" Zack paused and shook his head. "I'm just not sure I'm up for it tomorrow."

Kunsel grinned and leaned closer to Zack. "I think you're just disappointed that you didn't see him tonight." When Zack didn't answer, Kunsel continued. "You're afraid of being further disappointed tomorrow. Zack, man, that's life but you've got to put yourself out there."

"What if he's avoiding me?" Zack asked with a low voice.

"Then he's avoiding you, stupid!" Kunsel said light-heartedly. "Then we find someone else. Walk up to a hot guy and ask if he needs his computer serviced! IT guys like us may seem like geeks, but show him a good time and then you're golden."

"You're IT guys?" the waitress asked as she put three plates full of appetizers down on the table. Both Zack and Kunsel looked over at the waitress, who was now taking a seat beside Zack. "Because my laptop has been acting up lately and I've been meaning to call someone to look at it."

"I can take a look at it on Monday after I get off of work, if you want." Zack said, eyes not settling on one thing longer than a second.

The waitress smiled. "You wouldn't mind? I know it must suck doing work stuff after work. I can call and make an appointment, if you'd rather. I don't mind."

Zack shook his head and gave her a smile. "No, it's all right. Call it payback for the compliments and the free food."

The girl grinned. "And drinks." She patted her pockets dramatically and shook her head with a smirk. "I seem to have misplaced the bill." Kunsel and Zack laughed and thanked her. "I'm Tifa, by the way. I'll leave you with my address and phone number. Call me Monday?"

"Zack." Zack said by way of introduction and took Tifa's contact information. "And this is Kunsel." Kunsel shook her hand before Zack continued. "I'll be there around five-thirty."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Chapter five! **For KlikStar.**

-o-o-o-

The music was booming, the floor was crowded, and the drinks were flowing. Somehow Kunsel was able to get Zack out of his little funk from the night before and managed to convince the ravenet to come out to The Bell Tower tonight. Once Zack came through the door, Kunsel could see that he was almost immediately apprehensive as his eyes darted around the club, looking for the captivating little blond who was the reason why they were here in the first place. Kunsel decided to keep a very close eye on the ravenet, though, as it wouldn't be all that surprising to run into Reno again, something he would try to prevent with every ounce of his wishful thinking.

Aside from scanning the bar with a small smile, looking for his blond, Kunsel wasn't too dim to know that Zack was also looking for the redhead. If Kunsel understood his best friend like he think he did, he knew that Reno's appearance and subsequent actions would more than likely put a damper on the ravenet's mood, killing the light-hearted fun he was here to have. Kunsel pouted for a moment at that thought. Zack was going through so much, and after the disappointment of not seeing Cloud the night before, followed by Zack's worries that the blond was avoiding him, he needed a win tonight.

Kunsel started them off as soon as they made it to the bar, ordering drinks and a couple of shots. He saw Zack out of the corner of his eye glancing towards the back rooms which led to the back entrance where he and Cloud disappeared through last weekend. He knew it wasn't just the blond's appearance that occupied his mind, but Zack was more than likely thinking about what went on in that alleyway; cursing himself for not making definite plans to see Cloud again, much less get his phone number.

When the drinks arrived, Kunsel slapped on a happy smile and held up his shot glass, Zack doing the same, before toasting to an awesome night between the two of them, but hopefully not with the two of them together ("If you know what I mean" Kunsel added playfully). Zack simply grinned before downing his shot, eyes immediately rolling and a frown taking place on his lips.

"What?" Kunsel asked, looking around before cursing under his breath.

"Hey guys!" Ollie shouted over the music before pushing his way through the crowd. "Fancy meeting you here, ya?" he said, nudging Zack on the shoulder with a knowing smirk.

"Hey, Ollie." Zack said, turning around and grabbing his pint.

"When did you guys get in?" Ollie asked casually, eyes roaming over the sea of people.

Kunsel and Zack looked at one another and said nothing, hoping their 'friend' would go away. Ollie wasn't such a bad guy, but he was dangerous to have around if you were up to something that might make juicy gossip. That, and neither of them could understand why it mattered so much for Ollie to know everything about everyone.

When Ollie realized that he didn't receive an answer, he looked at the two friends and licked his lips. "The guy you were with last weekend will be here."

Zack looked at Ollie and shrugged his shoulders. "What makes you think I'm looking for him?"

Ollie paused for a moment before sighing. "Are you looking for Reno?" Zack glanced up at him, mouth slightly open, as Ollie continued. "He will be here tonight, as well."

Zack composed himself, but not quicker than Kunsel. "How do you know that?"

Ollie looked from Kunsel to Zack. "He made plans last night with someone. A rebound, I think."

Zack clenched his jaw as his eyes looked down to his glass. "I'm not looking for Reno."

Ollie put his hand on Zack's shoulder and smiled. "Good because you don't need him. You and that blond looked good together, you know."

Kunsel was about to interject but stopped himself as Ollie had said something positive and for Zack's benefit rather than his own. He decided to listen and watch carefully instead.

"Reno is scum, man." Ollie continued, but Zack would have none of it.

"Reno is not scum, Ollie." Zack said firmly, looking into Ollie's eyes. "Don't shit on him to make me feel better."

Ollie bit his tongue and nodded and Kunsel tried his damndest to hide the smile that was threatening to splash across his face when a familiar voice called his name.

"Heya, Kunsel!" Lilly called out as she weaved through the crowd.

"Hey, Lilly!" Kunsel smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist. "What are the odds?"

Lilly giggled and punched him lightly in the stomach. "We made plans!"

Kunsel grinned and kissed the side of her head. "We're waiting for Cloud to show up so they can get better acquainted." he explained, nodding towards Zack.

"Oooh," Lilly said playfully, reaching over and squeezing the ravenet's arm. "Don't want to let this one go, Zack. He's amazingly cute!"

Zack gave her a half smile then looked over at Ollie. "What time should I expect an appearance from Reno?"

"His ex-boyfriend, who is apparently bringing a date." Kunsel said to Lilly, filling her in.

"Probably around midnight, I think. Didn't get a good listen." Ollie answered.

"Ollie is your everyday small-time paparazzi." Kunsel explained to Lilly, who mocked a serious face and nodded dutifully.

Zack glanced at Kunsel, who smiled innocently back at him. "I'm going to roam. You two have fun." He gave a half-nod to Ollie before smiling at Lilly. "So nice to see you again."

"You too, Zack." she said sweetly. "Good luck!"

Zack grabbed his pint and turned his back on his friends. He really didn't know where he wanted to roam to, but he didn't want to be around them when Reno walked through the door. They all would be watching him for a reaction and that would only add to the humiliation of his ex coming to the same bar as him with another man. No, he thought it would be better to get lost in the crowd so they wouldn't see the look on his face when his heart felt like it was getting crushed.

He looked at his watch and noticed it was just after eleven. Cloud should be arriving soon and he couldn't help but glance over to the back rooms that led to the back entrance. He briefly thought he should wait for Cloud back there, but if the blond was actually trying to avoid him, the ravenet wanted to give him his space. He'd have Cloud approach him. That thought caused Zack to frown. All he could do was hope that that wasn't the case.

"When did you become such a downer?" he asked himself lowly, taking another sip from his beer.

At that moment, he noticed a shock of sunshine come through the back doors in the form of Cloud… What was his last name? It bothered Zack that he didn't know that. He didn't know anything about Cloud, but he was insanely attracted to him and really felt a pull towards the blond like he had his own gravity. He wanted to know everything about him; his favourite food, his favourite colour, where he went to school, what his dreams were. He couldn't help but smile as he watched the blond weave through the crowd towards the bar, ordering his first round of drinks. He was trailed by two of his friends, who were chatting happily with the blond.

Zack took a deep breath and looked towards the wall, trying not to be obvious that he was staring. That, too, would make things uncomfortable for Cloud if he wanted to avoid him. He found that he couldn't keep his eyes off of him for long, though, as his eyes made their way back to the beautiful angel by the bar. Cloud glanced around briefly, almost nervously, before his attention was snatched back by one of his friends, saying something obviously funny as the blond laughed, his expression making Zack's heart seize up in his chest.

"Sweet Shiva, you're beautiful…" Zack whispered to himself, eyes going slack as Cloud's eyes once again danced across the crowd. "Cast your angel eyes this way."

Cloud received his drink and gingerly took a sip, looking as though he was feigning interest in what his friend was saying, when crystal blue eyes found Kunsel, chatting away happily with Lilly. Cloud paused, his straw barely touching his soft, pink lips as he watched Kunsel. His eyes narrowed and Zack saw him take a deep breath, eyes immediately searching the surrounding crowd thoroughly.

"This way." Zack whispered, bracing himself for disappointment or discomfort if that's what Cloud's reaction was when he noticed him.

Cloud's eyes continued to search before they met with Zack's violet eyes, a moment when everything stood still and the music was drowned out by the thumping of Zack's heart. The ravenet couldn't bring himself to smile; he couldn't gesture or offer anything up to the blond. And just as suddenly as everything stilled, the pounding music came back as a happy smile graced Cloud's features.

Zack couldn't help but smile back as the blond offered a cute little wave, Zack raising his hand to reciprocate. Cloud turned around and said something to his friends, who gave him a certain look before nodding, then the blond slid away from the bar and made his way over to Zack, lithe body weaving through the crowded bar.

Zack couldn't move, but stood still, leaning against the wall behind him and watched the blond as he approached him.

"Hey!" the blond said over the music, his smile just as wide as it was when he first noticed him.

"Hey," Zack responded, his smile coming easier as it seemed as though Cloud was genuinely happy to see him.

"I saw your friend and thought you'd be around here somewhere." Cloud said, looking over at Kunsel before brilliant blue captured Zack's eyes again. "How've you been?"

Zack quirked his lips and tilted his head. "Umm, fine?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Wasn't sure if I was going to see you tonight."

Cloud chuckled and nodded. "I'm here every week." He waved his hand aimlessly around the bar. "Sort of my Saturday night place."

Zack nodded before taking a sip from his beer.

"I'm glad you're here." Cloud said, voice a little low.

Zack watched the blond with a smile. "I'm glad you're glad I'm here."

Cloud grinned, a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. "Listen, I'm sorry for dashing out on you last week. I-"

"It's all right." Zack said, raising his hand to stop the explanation. "You don't need to…" He paused and sighed. "Truthfully, I thought you might want to avoid me-"

"No!" Cloud interrupted. "Quite the opposite."

There was a still silence between the two, both watching the others' eyes with a smile.

"What's wrong?" Cloud asked, his smile slipping a bit as he took a step closer to Zack.

"Wrong?" Zack asked, raising an eyebrow. "Nothing's wrong."

Cloud pursed his lips. "You just looked around with a frown."

Zack swallowed and nodded. "I just heard from a friend that Reno, my ex, is supposed to be bringing a date here tonight."

Cloud nodded and took a sip from his straw. "We don't have to be here." he said lowly. "We can go someplace else."

Zack shook his head and sighed. "You're here with your friends. It's all right."

"I'm here with you, Zack." Cloud said, tilting his head to meet violet eyes.

Zack's eyes bore into Cloud's and he couldn't help it any longer. He took Cloud's hand in his own and pulled him close, wrapping his arm around the lean frame, pulling it against his, as his lips sought out those seductive, soft, warm lips. The kiss was surprisingly gentle, Cloud wrapping his free arm around Zack's muscular body as he pressed his own flush up against the ravenet's. It was nothing like Zack had expected, the heated, dominant kisses they had previously shared being forgotten and replaced by a more heart-felt kiss, lips parting and tongues stroking, but not induced by lust this time, somehow.

Zack was surprised by the gentle feeling that took him over as Cloud's tongue ran along his in a slow stroke, both boys mindlessly sought out a close-by table at the same time to drop their drinks on to free up their other hand, both which were promptly put to use; Cloud's caressing the back of Zack's neck and Zack's cupping Cloud's face softly. They held one another close and their kiss remained gentle, hands delicately touching and stroking.

Zack was overcome by tenderness, an emotion so powerful for the boy in his arms, that he never thought he would ever be able to let go. Although he wouldn't complain if Cloud changed the pace of their kiss, he was happy that Cloud was keeping it soft and full, almost as though he were feeling the same thing Zack was.

They eventually had to pull away for air, but only enough to allow sweet oxygen to fill their lungs. Cloud remained close enough and placed wet kisses against the ravenet's lips, seconds apart. Zack's head spun and his heart ached at the blond's distance even though he was still in his arms, pressed up against his body.

"Lets get out of here." Cloud whispered, licking Zack's lips before capturing them in another short, wet kiss.

Zack's tongue entered Cloud's mouth before Cloud could withdraw too far. The boy tasted so sweet and his body heat felt so good; Zack found himself becoming addicted to it like a drug. He placed a couple more smooches against the blond's lips. "Where do you want to go?"

Cloud's big, impossibly blue eyes looked into Zack's and a faint blush coloured his cheeks. "Take me back to your place."

Zack's body stirred wildly as his breath hitched, his lips not needing more than a second to take Cloud's again in a passionate kiss. The ravenet's heart pounded in his chest and he became almost desperate to get closer to Cloud regardless of the fact that they were as physically close to one another as they could be.

When their kiss ended, Zack nuzzled Cloud's neck and breathed in his scent. He kissed along his throat to the other side before kissing his earlobe and whispered, "Let me let Kunsel know I'm taking off, then."

Cloud leaned into Zack's words and ran his cheek along Zack's. "All right."

Zack took Cloud's hand in his own, the tenderness and affection coursing through his veins like fire, as he led Cloud towards Kunsel, who was chatting with Lilly, playfully rubbing his nose against hers.

"We're heading out." Zack said, his voice husky and very much out of breath.

Kunsel looked over at Zack and smiled. "Hey, you two came up for air!"

Zack gave his best friend a grin then glanced back at Cloud, who was watching him with a soft smile. Zack smiled back at Cloud as his heart skipped several beats at the sight of the gorgeous blond. He was only able to offer Kunsel a 'yeah', which was followed by a chuckle from his best friend.

"Okay, well, you two have fun, then."

Zack inhaled sharply and turned to Kunsel again. He smiled then looked to Lilly, offering a smile and a nod before he turned away, leading Cloud out of the bar. Cloud offered a small wave to Zack's friends before he wrapped his arms around Zack's arm, holding it tight against him.

Zack looked over to the blond with affectionate eyes and kissed the side of his head, completely oblivious of the redhead they brushed past on their way out.

Once they made it to Zack's motorcycle, Cloud's eyes focused hard on the heavy piece of machinery. "This is yours?" he asked timidly.

Zack looked back at Cloud, turning towards him. "Yeah. Are you uncomfortable with bikes?"

"Not at all." Cloud offered a small smile and shook his head. "My friends were admiring it last week. Didn't know it was yours."

Zack smiled, which subsequently slipped as he noticed a tremble run through Cloud's body, the blond looking very nervous.

"Hey, are you all right?" he asked, taking both of Cloud's hands in his own.

Cloud smiled again and nodded, squeezing Zack's hands. "I'm fine." He noticed Zack watching his expression closely and took a deep breath. "I've never done this before: gone home with someone from a bar so… it's… just new… for me."

"We don't have to-" Zack started before Cloud shook his head and interrupted.

"Zack, I want to."

"You're sure?" Zack asked, beginning to feel like he was pushing Cloud to do something he really didn't want to, even though it was the blond who made this suggestion.

Cloud's eyes flickered up and met violet. He smiled once more, taking a step closer to Zack and arching up against his body, placing a soft kiss against his lips. Zack tightened his grip on the blond's hands and leaned into the kiss, which was over much too soon, in his opinion.

"Take me to your place." the blond said quietly with a lick of his lips.

Zack let go of Cloud's hands, which surprisingly to him caused his heart to ache, and handed Cloud the spare helmet. He got on the bike and pulled Cloud behind him, wrapping the blond's arms around his waist. "Hold on tight." he said before starting the engine.

"If I must." Cloud responded jokingly over the roar of the bike, tightening his arms around Zack's body. Before Zack began driving, he felt one of Cloud's hands slip under his shirt and lightly caress the tight skin over his stomach. He took an extra couple of seconds to thoroughly relish in the feeling before he had to concentrate on driving.

To say it was a distracting drive back to the ravenet's apartment would be an understatement. The blond kept his hand under Zack's shirt and explored his soft skin and tight abs. If that wasn't enough to tug at Zack's concentration, Cloud's body was flushed so tightly up against his own making it difficult to keep his eyes on the road, much less the fact that the blond currently had a rock-hard erection that was pressed up against Zack's lower back.

When Zack parked his 'cycle, he pulled off his helmet and slipped off the bike, offering his hand to Cloud, who took it gingerly before pulling his own helmet off. Zack grinned at him, hands still connected, and led Cloud into his apartment.

Once inside, Cloud pulled off his boots and took a few steps inside, eyes dancing over the place before he turned around to face Zack. "S'nice." he offered before walking up to Zack and running a hand down the ravenet's arm.

"Let me know when you want me to take you home." the ravenet offered, watching Cloud's hand on his skin, goose bumps covering his toned flesh. "You're not trapped here."

Cloud grinned and leaned up to kiss Zack. The ravenet took his lips immediately and they stood in the front hallway, running their hands over each others' body and pulling the other close. Cloud was the first to slip his tongue into Zack's mouth and the ravenet moaned as the blond's tongue went to work at once, stroking Zack's and inviting it into his own mouth. Zack's body ignited and he found himself steadily becoming more dominant as he took steps forward, causing the blond to take steps back until his back was pressed up against the wall. Cloud's arms wrapped themselves around Zack's neck and the blond arched up against the bigger, stronger body with need.

Zack pushed himself against the blond, pinning him to the wall and an energy emitted from the both of them that hypnotized the other. Zack was pleasantly surprised when Cloud pushed forward, his hips grinding against the ravenet's desperately. Zack ran his hands down the blond's body and rested on his perfect backside, cupping Cloud before lifting him up off the ground, supporting all of his weight easily with his arms. Cloud moaned loudly and deepened the kiss, sucking on Zack's tongue suggestively while he rocked his hips against Zack's body.

Feeling like he couldn't take another moment without the blond, Zack made his way to his bedroom, not breaking the kiss they were currently locked in. He debated briefly to himself whether it would be better to keep this kiss that sent ripples of pleasure through his body, or to lay Cloud down on his bed and begin something so much more. His inner conflict was decided for him, though, as the blond pulled away from the kiss slowly, but not without placing a few wet, warm kisses on Zack's lips first, and looked down at the bed.

Zack watched as big, blue eyes examined the bed before they were cast upon him with a light-hearted smile. "I want you." the blond whispered, a tremble running the course of his body, felt perfectly by the ravenet who was still holding him.

Cloud's words made Zack's body go slack; his arms slowly releasing the blond as he gently placed him on the soft mattress. Cloud leaned back, supporting himself with his arms behind him and moved back on the bed as Zack crawled over him, bowing his head so their lips were millimetres apart. Cloud kept his eyes open, staring boldly up into violet eyes as Zack caged the blond in with his body, moving over him before the ravenet brushed his lips against Cloud's.

Cloud leaned up and caught Zack's lips with a sweet kiss, not taking it any further than a delicate, warm kiss and he felt Zack's body move closer to his, lining their bodies and offering a better position to touch each other easily. Ignoring his erection, Zack pressed his body against Cloud's, being careful not to put too much weight on the lean body under him, and delighted in the feeling of Cloud being so close to him. Cloud arched his back up off the bed to get more contact as his hands slipped under the ravenet's shirt and explored the toned, muscled flesh that lie beneath.

Zack felt dizzy as Cloud's hands travelled over his skin and he moaned into the blond's mouth. Before he realized what he was doing, he had Cloud's shirt off and was working on his belt buckle. Cloud reciprocated the moan and rolled his hips against Zack's before lying still on the bed, allowing Zack to undress him. Zack made quick work of Cloud's pants and paused as his fingers hooked the blond's boxers. He was working way too fast.

The ravenet removed his fingers from Cloud's boxers and ran them up his silky soft, firm stomach then back down again. Cloud, obviously enjoying this, wriggled slightly under the stronger man and sighed as his head fell back against the mattress. Zack panted slightly as he looked down at the blond's honey-coloured skin stretched taut across a modestly built form. He shivered and moved lower to kiss the blond's throat causing said blond to moan again and turn his head away from the ravenet to offer better access.

He kissed and licked his way from Cloud's throat to his chest and savoured the blond's clean, pleasant scent radiating off of him, drugging Zack. He moved his lips and took a pert nipple in his mouth and rolled his tongue over it causing Cloud to gasp and thrust his hips up. Zack rather enjoyed this reaction and moved over to his other nipple, doing the same with a gentle nip, smiling to himself as Cloud moaned, hips thrusting upwards once again.

Completely overcome by this little blond under him, Zack continued his journey down Cloud's body, dropping kisses and licking the skin as he made his way down to his navel, swiping his tongue over it. Cloud gasped sharply and fisted the duvet cover. Zack did this again and grinned as Cloud's reaction was repeated with a little more urgency.

"Ticklish…" Zack whispered, causing the blond to look down at him with a sly grin. "How fun."

Cloud chuckled and shook his head. "My skin is sensitive right now." he said, voice barely over a whisper.

Zack gave him a brilliant smile and lowered his head, running his tongue over the skin stretched over the blond's stomach, Cloud's mouth going slack as his watched the ravenet, who glared up at him. Cloud took a deep breath and shivered, watching Zack entice goose bumps over his bare flesh, ripples of preliminary sexual pleasure causing him to tremble deep inside.

Zack began to move down on Cloud's body again when the blond reached down to stop him. Violet eyes watched Cloud as he removed his mouth and hands from the blond's body immediately, fearing that he was pushing Cloud too far too fast.

Cloud watched Zack's eyes for a moment and was appreciative that Zack stopped without needing being told to, but that wasn't the blond's intent. He thoroughly enjoyed what Zack was doing, but he had a request.

"Take off your clothes." he whispered, arousal being the only expression on his face.

Zack searched the blond's eyes for a moment before lifting himself up off of Cloud's body. He knelt back on his heals and watched in fascination as the blond's cheeks flushed and blue eyes glazed over with longing. Zack tilted his head as a small smile crept across his lips before standing up off of the bed. He reached down and grabbed the hem of his shirt, lifting it up over his head and shaking the article to the floor. Cloud's lips parted in a silent pant and Zack watched his eyes roam over his strong, naked chest and stomach as he began removing his belt and pants, bringing them down his legs and stepping out of them.

Cloud's hands mimicked Zack's as they both hooked their thumbs on the waistband of their boxers, pulling the last article of clothing from their own bodies, eyes watching the other with lust. Both completely naked, Zack crawled back onto the bed, eyes surveying Cloud's lean, firm body as he made his way back up to his lips, their erections both standing tall and proud before being pressed up against each other. Cloud let out a moan into Zack's mouth as the ravenet began to slowly rock his hips against the blond's, their swollen cocks rubbing against the others' in a slow, steady motion.

Zack became dizzy after wave after wave of pleasure radiated through his body, breaking the kiss and nuzzling his face in the blond's neck. He breathed in Cloud's scent before pushing his upper body up with his arms, hips still rolling against Cloud's and he looked down at the stunning boy under him.

"Gods, you're beautiful." he whispered, eyes watching the muscles in Cloud's stomach clench each time the blond thrust up against Zack's body.

Cloud let out a little pant as he reached up with both hands to pull Zack back down into a desperate kiss, his tongue not waiting for permission before he thrust it into the ravenet's mouth with need. Zack groaned and lowered himself down over Cloud again, using one hand to travel down the blond's baby-soft skin, fingers petting his chest as they made their way to his stomach.

Cloud quaked as Zack's hand continued to travel lower, fingers brushing against his stomach before they lightly gripped his hips, effectively stilling them. Zack's tongue gave one last lick to Cloud's lips before the ravenet lowered himself back down Cloud's body, his hands spreading trembling legs apart as he settled down in between them. Cloud looked down at Zack, eyes fluttered as the ravenet petted his stomach and thighs gently. One of his hands paused before Zack leaned over the bed, reaching into the night stand and pulling out a small bottle. Cloud watched him as he settled back down between his legs and took a deep breath.

"You okay?" Zack asked in a low voice, violet eyes watching the blond's expression closely.

Cloud's eyes met Zack's and he nodded, lips still parted as he struggled to keep his legs from trembling so bad.

"We don't have to." Zack said, holding the small bottle of oil away from the blond, suggesting that he was more than willing to put it away.

"No, I want to." Cloud answered, his voice sure though shaky. "I really want to."

Zack smiled tenderly and took a deep breath to ease the emotion in his chest. Cloud was perfect in his eyes; a perfect body, perfect eyes, perfect scent, perfect voice, perfect lips. He couldn't help himself; he leaned up and placed a delicate kiss against Cloud's lips, a kiss that was reciprocated with as much emotion as he felt. Straining erections forgotten for the moment, Zack and Cloud held one another close and relished in the slow, wet kiss.

Zack nuzzled his nose against Cloud's hair before leaning back on his heals, stroking the blond's legs softly before spreading them again with his hands. Cloud sighed and let his legs fall apart, piercing blue eyes watching violet before Zack leaned down and kissed the head of Cloud's cock, lips lingering and massaging the swollen head. His tongue slipped out and licked it before he reached up and pulled it away from the blond's stomach. Cloud's breath became heavier as Zack leaned down once more, his lips parting and taking Cloud in his mouth slowly, his lips gliding easily over the tip of Cloud's erection, slicked by saliva, as his mouth slid down Cloud's length.

Cloud couldn't help but whimper as his cock slipped deeper into Zack's mouth, the ravenet's tongue stroking underneath his shaft as his lips reached almost to the base. Zack hummed in the back of his throat, sending vibrations through Cloud's arousal causing the blond to moan, before he drew his lips back up the length. Stopping when just the head was in his mouth, Zack took Cloud in deeply again, beginning a steady bobbing motion over the blond's erection.

Cloud's head lolled back against the duvet and he began thrusting up against Zack's mouth to the same rhythm Zack set. The trembling in his legs stopped and was replaced with a shiver as his skin began to tingle from the pleasure he was feeling. Zack applied pressure as he sucked on his cock and his tongue was busy searching for the sensitive spots that caused the blond to gasp; a sense of accomplishment satisfying the ravenet every time he found one.

It wasn't until the blond started vocalizing before Zack realized he needed to pay attention to pleasuring Cloud. As though that thought were the trigger, Zack tasted the first drops of precum on his tongue, swallowing it greedily and surprisingly desiring more and more, so much that he increased the pressure he was applying on Cloud's cock and began to tug on the blond's sac softly.

Cloud cried out and clenched the duvet with both hands, arching his back off the bed and moaned desperately. Zack tasted Cloud's precum again and felt Cloud's cock swell within his mouth. Knowing Cloud was seconds away from orgasm, he slipped his erection out of his mouth and gripped the base of the bond's arousal with one hand, the other letting go of the gasping blond's sac.

Cloud panted heavily as he tried to regain his breath, eyes closed tight and body still twisting on the bed. Zack watched Cloud with heavy eyes, his own cock beginning to leak from the intense arousal he felt at hearing and seeing Cloud all worked up. Eyes busy drinking in the sight of a much-excited blond, the ravenet's hand reached for the bottle of oil, uncapping it silently, and poured a small amount on his fingers.

Cloud was just starting to come down from his near-climax when his body stilled and stiffened at the feeling of Zack's finger stroking his entrance softly. He took a deep breath before looking down, almost startled by violet eyes watching him closely, the ravenet's lips parted slightly as his finger continued to caress him. Cloud took in a deep breath and licked his lips. He laid his head down again and spread his legs a little further apart, silently giving Zack permission to prepare him for what they both wanted so badly.

Zack picked up on Cloud's unspoken message and teased his finger inside the blond carefully, stilling completely whenever Cloud made a sound to ensure he didn't hurt the beautiful boy on his bed. When Cloud seemed ready, Zack introduced a second finger, soon followed by a third and stroked the blond's insides, stretching him for what was to come next. Cloud moaned and gasped as Zack explored his body, legs beginning to tremble again. The ravenet used his free hand and ran his fingers along Cloud's legs, thighs, then stomach to sooth the blond for the mild discomfort. He smiled when Cloud smiled, the blond letting a soft sigh escape his lips and his features noticeably relaxed, his legs falling apart more easily as Zack worked his fingers in and out of his body.

"That feels good…" Cloud whispered, his eyes fluttering closed. He still wore a smile on his lips that made Zack's eyes sparkle with happiness.

"Like that, do you?" Zack said light-heartedly, not being able to keep the mischief out of his tone.

Cloud panted and his smile grew wider. "Yeah," he breathed, biting his lower lip. "I think I'm ready."

Zack grinned before leaning down to place a kiss against Cloud's rock-hard erection, doing so with a lingering lick, then moved up Cloud's body, placing kisses over the highly sensitized skin on his way. Once his lips reached Cloud's, they started a deep, sensual kiss as Zack's hand roamed over Cloud's body. Without a word, Zack placed the bottle of oil in Cloud's hand.

Once his arms were possessively around the blond again, he felt Cloud shift. The ravenet kept his eyes closed as his tongue continued to seduce the blond's. He was getting totally lost in the moment when their lips were connected before he moaned softly into Cloud's mouth as soft, oil-slicked fingers gently caressed his weeping erection. He tried to withhold thrusting into Cloud's hand but all resolve was lost as the blond's palm slid along his length then back up again, giving the head of his cock a delicate squeeze before continuing to rub the oil over his length.

Zack moaned again, this time louder, as his rocked up against Cloud's hand, the oil mixing with precum and Cloud panting heavily in the ravenet's mouth. A groan escaped Zack's lips as he broke the kiss and looked down between their bodies. Cloud's hand continued to stroke his arousal and Zack shuddered at the sight of Cloud's erection dripping from the tip, precum pooling on his soft skin.

As if both boys got the same idea at the same time, Cloud bent his knees and spread his legs for Zack just as the ravenet moved to rest the head of his erection against Cloud's entrance. They both looked at each other with longing for a brief second before Cloud's lips curved into a small smile, his eyes softening as they held a violet gaze. Zack smiled back at the blond with adoration and ran his hands down Cloud's stomach before one hand strayed, going between their bodies and slowly guiding Zack's cock into Cloud's body.

Cloud's breath caught in his throat at the initial pressure and he squeezed his eyes shut, hands fisting into the duvet. Zack paused and held perfectly still, removing his hand from between them and gently stroking Cloud's erection. The breath Cloud was holding was released in a stuttered moan and he arched his body slightly off the bed into Zack's hand. Zack remained still to allow Cloud's body to adjust and watched in fascination as Cloud's expression changed from discomfort to pleasure as the boy continued to thrust upwards.

"I'm okay." Cloud whispered, crystal blue revealing themselves from behind his eyelids, looking at Zack with just as much adoration as Zack showed him. "Keep going. Make love to me."

Zack breathed deeply and licked his lips. The words Cloud had chosen made his heart throb within his chest. He leaned down carefully and placed a kiss against willing lips and ran a hand through silky blond hair. Cloud's hands ran up Zack's back, one resting against his neck and the other venturing into black spikes, tugging gently at the locks before massaging his scalp. Zack moaned into the blond's mouth as he pushed his hips forward slowly, softly, and sheathed himself in the blond as far as he could before resting his hips on Cloud's. He stayed still and savoured the feeling of Cloud's muscles squeezing him tight from the inside, the attempts the blond was making to relax evident by the fluctuating pressure being applied to his cock. Still, he remained motionless and waited for Cloud to adjust, kissing him passionately, pouring as much emotion into his kiss as he could.

It briefly crossed his mind why he felt such tender emotions towards Cloud as he did. He really didn't know him, but there was something about the way Cloud made him feel that had him head over heels. His chest tightened in a way he'd never felt and he couldn't wait to find out everything about this man who had somehow managed to capture his heart in record time. He didn't know exactly how Cloud felt, but the kiss they were sharing was more than lust; Cloud keeping the pace slow as his tongue lazily ran across the ravenet's, his hands caressing him softly.

Cloud's body relaxed against the mattress and Zack dared not chance to move until he felt Cloud rock his hips slightly against his, only then did Zack pull out of him slightly before reclaiming his space within the blond. Cloud moaned and closed his eyes, breaking the kiss and taking a deep breath.

Uttering Zack's name again, the blond motioned with his hips again that he wanted Zack to continue, the ravenet then introducing a slow and steady pace. Cloud held his breath then let it out slowly, his eyes opening and looking straight into Zack's as the ravenet made love to him.

Zack breathed deeply as he slid in and out of the blond, eyes trained on the bright, blue eyes staring into his own. He searched those eyes for discomfort, distress, or pain but found nothing but a longing which matched his own feelings. He kept his pace slow and revelled in the physical pleasure mixed with loving emotion he was feeling for the blond; he couldn't help but lean down and kiss those soft lips. He kept his eyes open and watched the blond's flutter shut as Cloud's lips moved against his, adding to the bliss he was already feeling.

The thought slipped past once again for a fleeting moment how he had come to care so much about Cloud so soon, but it was soon discarded as the blond moaned deep in his throat, breaking the kiss and panting slightly against Zack's lips. Cloud whispered the ravenet's name and his breathing became heavier, his chest rising a falling before the blond ran his hands up over Zack's back, pulling him down close against his own body.

Zack smiled and slid his arms around the blond's body warmly, holding their bodies together as he moved within Cloud. They were in their own world and nothing mattered to the ravenet at this moment except being so close to the blond.

"Zack, it's so good…" the blond whimpered, the words barely making it past parted lips.

Zack tightened his arms around the blond and nuzzled his cheek against Cloud's, wanting every inch of his skin against his lover's.

"Tell me it's good for you." Cloud pleaded weakly, his voice heavy with pleasure.

Zack turned his head and captured the bond's lips in a searing kiss, his sex beginning to throb strongly within Cloud, causing his hips to snap forward just a little harder than they had previously. He pulled away from the kiss, panting as he looked down into the blond's eyes. "It's amazing, Cloud. You're so amazing." His voice, rather than his words, told the blond everything he needed to hear.

Cloud smiled and hummed as his arms struggled to pull Zack closer, his hips thrusting up against Zack's in sync with Zack's thrusts into him. The blond's body began to shake and Zack watched as Cloud's mouth opened and closed with silent gasps and moans. Cloud's eyes closed again and his breath was coming more erratically than it had before. Just watching Cloud's reactions intensified everything for Zack and he barely noticed his pace pick up again; the blond's body moving with every firm thrust within him telling Zack that he was pushing into the blond much harder than he had started with.

Cloud let out a moan letting Zack know that he liked the new pace. But that moan did much more than that. It signalled the beginning for Zack, his sex swelling further within the blond and a new powerful pleasure coursing through his body with every thrust into the blond. His body tingled and he couldn't help but pull the blond's body tight against his own, taking special care not to hurt him.

"Gods, Cloud…" Zack murmured.

"Yeah," the blond replied, his arms holding onto Zack tightly. "I'm close. Don't stop."

Cloud's words set Zack's body ablaze and he had to concentrate hard not to lose it immediately. He felt his cock twitch and knew he was seconds away from climax. "Please," the ravenet begged, his voice telling Cloud exactly how close he really was.

"Don't stop." the blond repeated, his voice telling Zack the same thing.

Zack panted heavily before letting go of the blond, his arms lifting his upper body from the blond and introducing a new angle into his body. Cloud cried out and began pleading desperately, calling out Zack's name and his body writhing almost violently on the bed.

"Come on, baby." Zack begged through clenched teeth. He didn't know how he was holding on, but he wanted them to go together.

"Za… I'ma…" Cloud's words poured out of his mouth before his breath caught in his throat. His eyes closed shut tightly before he cried out, body convulsing, as he came all over his stomach.

As soon as Zack realized what was happening, his resolve disappeared and it was less than a second later before he called out Cloud's name and surrendered to the lightening heat that coursed through his veins. He felt the blond's muscles clamp down around him before pulsing with the blond's orgasm, his own sex throbbing wildly as he came into the vibrating heat surrounding him.

It took several moments for Zack to be able to collect himself enough to adjust his weight. He had collapsed after his climax, his arms possessively around the blond. Cloud lazily turned his head and looked into Zack's eyes with a soft smile across his lips. Zack smiled back at Cloud and leaned in to kiss him, the gesture being accepted immediately. The kiss felt as good as what they had just experienced and Zack couldn't help but pull the blond closer as he deepened the kiss. Cloud didn't seem to mind as he kissed him back, his own hands pulling the ravenet closer as well.

They laid there kissing one another for a long while, their bodies still attached but both of them not ready or willing to separate. Whether they fell asleep kissing or stopped before passing out, neither one knew.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: For **KlikStar**!

Please review!

-o-o-o-

It was a low chuckle from Cloud that woke Zack up fully. He had been awake for a while now but was dozing on and off until the soft noise roused his curiousity. He grinned at the pleasant sound and looked over to the cute blond, who was still under him after their night in the throes of passion. Pretty blue eyes looked up at him with happiness and adoration making Zack feel like the luckiest man who had ever lived. He leaned down and gave the blond a quick kiss before asking the inevitable "What?"

Cloud grinned and wriggled his hips, reminding Zack that he was still inside of the blond as they had fallen asleep before readjusting their bodies, obviously so exhausted that they had not moved all night. Zack chuckled before realizing the reason behind Cloud's unintentional wake-up call. As it was almost always the case, this morning being no exception, Zack woke up with a morning hard-on which had swelled inside of Cloud. Cloud chuckled and wriggled his hips again against Zack's body, showing the ravenet that he, too, was sporting an erection.

"Good morning." Cloud said sweetly, causing the ravenet to smirk.

"Good morning to you, too." Zack replied, leaning down and kissing the blond again.

Cloud moaned in the back of his throat and wrapped his arms around the ravenet, pulling the man closer. Zack chanced a thrust forward and shivered as his body began to tingle at the sensation. It also earned him a gasp from Cloud, who broke the kiss and looked down at their bodies with slightly parted lips.

Zack held still and watched the blond inspect their position. His eyes met with baby blue and softened when he was met with a gentle smile. Cloud leaned up and placed a particularly delicate kiss against Zack's lips before a hand reached up and rested on the back of the ravenet's head. Cloud laid his head back down on the pillow, bringing Zack's head down with him as not to break their kiss. His other hand immediately began stroking Zack's back, earning a low groan from the stronger man, who melted from Cloud's touch.

Zack chanced another thrust into the blond, moving slowly and carefully, and smiled against the soft pink lips against his own when he heard Cloud moan again. Cloud broke the kiss first and took a deep breath, releasing it with a soft sigh and smiling up at Zack again. Zack smiled back as he continued to move within the blond.

There was something so refreshing about waking up with someone and that feeling was intensified as Zack watched Cloud's features shift from happy contentment to arousal. He felt his heart throb in his chest and his lips tingled to caress the blond again, so he bowed his head and placed feather-light kisses along Cloud's neck and collar bone, earning more moans from the boy under him.

He couldn't explain his feelings for Cloud, but they appeared to be becoming stronger and stronger with each passing moment he spent with the blond. He wasn't about to fool himself and believe that he was falling in love this early even though that is what it felt like. He knew it was something else, though he didn't know what that was. He didn't know Cloud's last name. He really didn't know anything about him, but he wanted to very much. He thought about all of the questions he had for the blond when his lips weren't otherwise preoccupied.

He was happy. That's what got Zack the most. From the moment he laid eyes on Cloud he felt happy. Regardless of what was going on in his life, the blond had him smiling. He was depressed when he went to a bar for the first time since Reno left and was immediately drawn to Cloud. Reno confessed his love for Zack after all that had happened and Zack was able to easily walk away towards the waiting blond. Reno watched him with hurt in his eyes and Zack only had eyes for Cloud. Reno was meeting another guy at the bar Zack was at, but all was forgotten when Cloud showed up. Cloud made his pain go away.

Zack's lips ventured over Cloud's jaw and met with parted lips, his tongue instantly delving into Cloud's mouth with so much passion that it even caught himself off guard. Cloud groaned into the ravenet's mouth and matched Zack's passion easily, causing Zack's heart to beat wildly within his chest. Zack's arms wrapped themselves around Cloud's body again and held him close as he continued to thrust into the blond. For the first time Zack realized that it was possible a kiss could encourage a climax, rather than kissing _because_ of one. His body trembled and his heart soared as Cloud moaned steadily in his mouth, the blond now thrusting upwards as Zack thrust down building a powerful force that had them groping at one another hungrily.

It wasn't too long before Cloud threw his head back and cried out, Zack feeling warm wetness between their bodies and Cloud's insides milking him with the steady, pulsing rhythm of the blond's orgasm. Zack's eyes went slack as the blond continued to whimper Zack's name, hands grasping at toned, strong biceps desperately which threw Zack into his own orgasm violently.

Zack cried out Cloud's name and stilled his hips as his sex pulsed and throbbed inside of Cloud, filling him. Zack shuddered before collapsing once again on the blond, who held onto him tenderly, kissing Zack's forehead softly as the ravenet caught his breath.

When Zack settled down enough, he lifted his head and looked into the blond's eyes, baby blue watching violet with a blissful contentment that made the ravenet smile warmly. Cloud returned his smile and leaned in to kiss Zack, who reciprocated lovingly.

_How is it that I'm falling in love with you already?_ he asked Cloud in his mind as his lips moved over Cloud's tenderly. Cloud's lips answered with a _Who cares?_ as his tongue stroked Zack's affectionately.

They stayed that way, bodies still joined, for a long while, kissing one another and relishing from being in the others' arms. Soon Zack pulled out of Cloud's body and rolled over onto his back, pulling the blond on top of him without breaking their kiss. Cloud purred into the ravenet's mouth and cupped his face with both hands.

When they broke away for air, lips remaining close, Zack smiled and looked up into Cloud's eyes, baby blue already gazing down at him adoringly.

"Let me make you breakfast?" Zack asked before looking over to his alarm clock. "Or should I say lunch." he chuckled, noticing it was already passed noon.

Cloud's eyes went wide and he sat up, looking over at the alarm clock in shock. "Oh Gods, I'm late!" He looked down at Zack, mouth parted slightly and shook his head. "I have to go. I'm so sorry!"

Zack frowned as Cloud hopped out of bed, scrambling to grab his clothes. "Is everything all right?" he asked, sitting up and watching Cloud pull on his boxers.

Cloud looked back at him with a soft smile. "Everything's fine. I'm just late." Cloud crawled back onto the bed and kissed Zack tenderly before climbing back off to put his pants on. "Some of us still have to work on weekends."

Zack licked his lips and watched with disappointment as Cloud began buckling his belt. "Want me to drive you?"

Cloud looked up at Zack with a sweet smile. "No, thank you. I can cab it. Probably better than my boss seeing me jump off a motorcycle with some guy after being over an hour late."

Zack nodded, head still reeling. Then a thought occurred to him. "What do you do?" He just wanted to know more about the man who had effectively stolen his heart.

"I'm an apprentice for this small little firm downtown." Cloud answered, pulling his shirt on. He straightened his shirt before sitting down on the bed to pull his socks on. "If I play my cards right, I may be a partner some time in the future." He paused and turned around, looking at Zack. "What about you?"

Zack smirked and shrugged. "IT geek." he answered, raising one hand.

Cloud snorted and shook his head before climbing back into bed with Zack, kissing him on the lips again. "I don't believe that for a second!"

"Hey, not all IT geeks are actually geeks, you know." Zack answered playfully, stealing kisses between words. "And the pay's decent."

Cloud closed his eyes and straddled Zack hips, leaning down and kissing him with restrained passion. "Must be nice to get the weekends off."

"It's a perk." Zack said, melting as Cloud cupped his face and slipped him his tongue again.

Cloud pulled back from the kiss several times but could hardly move away before moving in for another kiss. "It's hard to leave you right now." He whispered against Zack's lips before kissing him again.

"Will I get to see you again?" Zack asked, looking up into Cloud's eyes.

Cloud smiled and rolled off the bed playfully. "I should hope so."

Zack grinned and sighed happily. "What's your last name?"

Cloud looked over at him as he checked his pockets for all of his belongings. "Strife." he answered.

"Cloud Strife." Zack said, smiling as the blond's name sent pleasant shivers down his spine.

"What's yours?" Cloud asked, tilting his head in the cutest way.

"Zack Fair."

Cloud smiled and nodded as if that would secure the name in his memory forever.

Zack bit his lower lip and sighed again, their separation causing his heart to ache already. As if just struck by lightening, Zack remember the most important question of all and almost panicked as though Cloud would disappear before he could ask it.

"Can I have your phone number?" the ravenet asked quietly, not sure why he was half expecting Cloud to say no.

Cloud paused and looked back at Zack with a cute smile. "Of course." He glanced around the room and found a pad of paper and pen on Zack's desk. He wrote down his name and phone number before bringing it over to Zack, climbing on the bed with him before handing it over.

Zack glanced at the number with a smile and leaned over to kiss the blond, who ran two fingers down Zack's cheek.

"Can I have yours?" Cloud asked quietly against Zack's lips, placing the pen he brought to the bed in Zack's hand.

Zack pulled back from the kiss with a smile. He pulled off the piece of paper with Cloud's number on it and wrote down his own on the next sheet, tearing it off, and handing it to Cloud. Cloud accepted it gingerly and put it into his wallet before leaning in for another kiss.

"Call me soon." the blond whispered against Zack's lips before taking them with his own again.

"Soon will never be soon enough." Zack responded, watching with heavy-lidded eyes as Cloud ended the kiss, left the bed, the room, and heard the front door shut quietly after him.

It took a moment for everything to sink in, but after a few moments Zack felt giddier than he ever remembered feeling. He looked down at the sheet of paper with Cloud's name and phone number on it. "Cloud Strife." he whispered before breaking out with a full-fledge smile. He threw himself down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling and sighed to himself. He stretched out and felt every muscle in his body quiver with relief before he relaxed and looked at Cloud's name again in his hand.

"You've got a hold on me, Mr. Strife." Zack said to himself, beaming at Cloud's handwriting. His hand dropped to his side as Zack relived the past day in his mind. It wasn't until almost an hour later before Zack realized that he was still very naked in bed and in need of a shower after Cloud's company. With a light heart, Zack made his way to the shower and got clean again.

Once dried and dressed, Zack rummaged through the refrigerator and made himself a feast of a lunch. He ate happily before picking up his phone and calling Kunsel, suppressing a laugh as the phone rang on the other end.

"Good afternoon, you ol' dog, you!" Kunsel's cheerful voice answered.

"Calling to check in." Zack said, a huge smile plastered across his face. "How art thou?"

Kunsel chuckled. "I think the question on everyone's mind is how are _you_?" he asked with an edge to his voice.

"It's a beautiful morning!" Zack sighed, throwing himself down on his couch and stretching out. He felt lazy but at the same time full of energy.

"I'll bet." Kunsel said. "So, how did the night go? Dirty details, pronto!"

Zack huffed and ran a hand through his hair idly. "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

"I'm not asking to hear the kissing part of it." Kunsel replied smartly. "I'm not looking for the mushy goo part; just the _mushy goo_ part."

Zack laughed and shook his head at his best friend. "Why in Gaia would you want to hear about that, you pervert?"

Kunsel sighed and there was a brief pause before he continued. "You called me, Fair. Out with it. You know you want to."

Zack smiled and focused on the clock on the wall. "Kunsel, I'm falling for him." he said in a low voice.

There was another pause but this time there was a different air to it. Zack sensed that Kunsel was searching for the right words and feared that it was something Zack wasn't going to like too much.

"Kunsel?"

"Yeah, I heard you." his friend said carefully. "But, umm… Zack, man, it's a little fast, don't you think?"

"Absolutely it is." Zack replied, Kunsel's words not having an iota of impact on Zack's mood. "That's why I'm so completely taken by surprise, but I'm really feeling this."

There was another pause. "What did you two do last night?"

Zack huffed in amusement and sighed. "That's a pretty stupid question."

"Probably, but Zack…" Kunsel began, treading lightly. "You just met the guy."

"But he makes me happy, Kunsel." Zack said, just starting to catch on that Kunsel wasn't nearly as excited to hear this news as he thought he'd be. "I thought you would be happy for me."

"I am!" Kunsel said quickly. "I really, really am but I'm also concerned that you're going to get hurt."

Zack paused, his mouth open slightly as he absorbed Kunsel's words. With every passing second the ravenet became more confused. "Dude, you're the one who told me that I needed to put myself out there."

"I did, I know." Kunsel answered. "But I didn't say go fall in love with the first guy you meet… the first night you spend with him."

"That's sort of out of my control." Zack retorted a little more sharply than he had intended. "I didn't decide this for myself. Cloud is amazing! I swear to you, he's something special. He's-"

"Zack…" Kunsel cut in, his voice low. "I'm really happy for you. I'm just concerned."

"About what?" Zack asked, all of a sudden feeling defensive.

"I'm concerned that you're jumping too fast into this relationship." Kunsel answered.

"He makes me happy." Zack repeated.

"And that's awesome." Kunsel said sincerely. "And it's all right to really like the guy. He's hot and he makes you happy, but don't try to force love immediately after you spend the night with him."

"I'm not forcing anything." Zack said, his voice betraying how serious Zack's mood change was.

"He's a rebound, Za-."

"He's not a fucking rebound!" Zack shouted back before Kunsel's words could leave his mouth. There was a brief silence and Zack heard Kunsel sigh over the line. "He's not a rebound." Zack repeated, checking his anger before uttering the words more calmly.

"Zack, I love you to death, all right?" Kunsel started. "But even you must find it a little strange that you feel as though you fell in love with Cloud the first night you spend with him."

"You have no idea what happened last night." Zack said, his voice sounding somewhat hurt that his best friend didn't understand him. "This morning was… Kunsel, I swear to you that this is real."

"All right, Zack." Kunsel said softly.

"I mean it. I'm really serious."

"That's wonderful news." Kunsel replied. "Did you smarten up and get a number before letting him go this time?" he asked next, his voice suggesting that he was willing to drop his concerns for now.

"I did." Zack answered, glancing at the number posted on his bulletin board in the kitchen. "I'm going to ask him out for dinner and spend the night getting to know who he is." Even Zack didn't miss the awkward pause that followed as he admitted to not really knowing who the guy was he was supposedly in love with.

"Then you can call me and fill me in on the dirty details?" Kunsel asked, sounding hopeful.

"You really are a pervert…" Zack commented, rolling his eyes. "Hey, I'll let you know how everything goes, 'kay? I'm out."

"Later, stud." Kunsel replied before hanging up. "And I'll wait to pick up the pieces after you fall, my friend…" he said lowly to himself, eyes sadly examining the face of his phone as the light turned off after the call disconnected.

Zack grinned at his phone but that quickly turned into a frown. He had never shouted at Kunsel like he just had before and the anger he felt when he did was foreign to him. He at least gave his best friend credit in the sense that he was concerned for the ravenet and voiced that concern at the risk of upsetting him.

Zack did understand where Kunsel was coming from and immediately felt bad for the conversation they'd just had. Zack sighed to himself and flipped open his phone again, beginning a text to Kunsel.

'_I feel bad now. You're right and I'll be careful. Sorry for getting mad. Thanks for looking out for me.'_

He only had to wait a moment before receiving a response from his friend.

'_All is forgiven. Keep your head on straight and everything will work out."_

Zack sighed at this response and closed his phone. Kunsel was right and although Zack felt things for Cloud that seemed too good to be true, he wasn't about to deny the fact that he definitely had strong feelings for him, regardless of how fast they came to be.

Zack swung his legs over the side of the couch and sat up straight. He needed to get out of the house before his restlessness consumed him and made him no more useful than a car without wheels. He did a quick check of his cupboards and fridge for grocery items he needed before his eye caught Cloud's name posted on the board. He walked over to the piece of paper and ran a finger over Cloud's name before programming the number into his phone. He was going to get to know this boy and he'd prove to everyone that what they shared was special; that even though his affection for the blond came swiftly, it was as real as any other lovers'. With that thought, Zack left his apartment with a certain bounce in his step and a contented smile on his face.

He couldn't help but smile at random people he passed at the grocery store as they met his eye. He received smiles back for the most part but there were a few who would look away quickly. It didn't bother him because he wasn't smiling to make friends or start a conversation. It was a reaction that came naturally for him on any other day; his elated mood this particular Sunday making it impossible to control. As if Gaia agreed with him, she provided an impossibly sunny day without a cloud in the sky. The ravenet wasn't oblivious to the irony of that because in his world there was Cloud everywhere. He wasn't going crazy. He wasn't insane in the sense where he was seeing Cloud everywhere, but the blond was constantly on his mind in one way or another.

He leaned casually on the handle of his shopping cart as he slowly guided it down the aisles of the grocery store, stopping every once and awhile to pick up an item he needed or read the label of others that caught his attention. He'd always saved produce for last because, in his mind, if he picked them up last then they were that much fresher when he brought them home, regardless of how long they'd been sitting on the display bunkers. A little quirk he picked up from his mother.

_I should really call her._ he thought to himself. It had been awhile since he checked in with his parents and he hadn't updated them on what went down between Reno and him. His mother adored Reno and he knew she would take the news almost as hard as he had, which is why he avoided talking to her in the first place. She would probably be upset that he waited almost a month to call, but he was hoping that the news about Cloud would move the conversation along. _Need to come up with a way to tell her how we met, too._ he thought with a grin. He would never tell his mother how he met the blond and ended up with him. He was still her good little boy, in her eyes.

Zack turned down the next aisle, eyes scanning but not really seeing what was on the shelves in front of him. His mind was thinking about last night and this morning, about the blond and how Cloud seemed almost as much into him as Zack felt for him. He smiled to himself before stopping to pick up another needed grocery item, haphazardly tossing it into his cart before moving on. Then he noticed him, a certain redhead at the end on the aisle, checking his grocery list which a blank expression.

Zack paused and thought about turning around, pretending not to have seen Reno. If he did it now, the redhead wouldn't have noticed. The ravenet paused and thought this through, debating whether to run away or face his ex. Too late. Reno looked up, eyes meeting Zack's. At first it looked like he was about to smile and wave, but the smile failed on his lips and he offered a weak wave with a sort of frown.

Zack nodded at Reno and leaned on his forearms on the handle of the shopping cart, back slightly hunched due to its height and found himself watching the redhead, not moving to a retreat or greet. Reno folded his shopping list and took Zack's immobility as an invitation to come over. Shoving the list into his pocket, the redhead slowly walked over to Zack and threw on a painfully obvious fake smile.

"Hey," he said, his voice suggesting that he was going to say 'Hey, Zack' but the ravenet's name was a little too painful to say.

"Hey," Zack reciprocated, wishing he had forfeited the inner debate and retreated before Reno looked up. "How are you?"

Reno's eyes grew heavy and he narrowed them as he looked down to the ground. Zack's heart began to tug for the redhead all over again at the look of pain across his ex's features. Zack could see Reno swallow hard before he looked back up at Zack. "I'm okay." He paused and the inner conflict to compose himself was as clear as day. "How are you?"

Zack knew it would be heartless to tell Reno the truth; that he was great, happy, and in love. That wasn't a conversation to have with Reno. "I'm all right, I guess." He couldn't keep the light tone out of his voice, though.

Reno looked around them before his eyes settled on Zack's chest, avoiding violet eyes at all costs. "Doing some shopping?" The redhead either didn't realize or care how ridiculous that question was.

"Umm, yeah." Zack answered, looking down into his shopping cart with an easy air. To be honest, he wanted to just say 'See you later' and bolt, but there was something holding him there; fragments of the love he held for Reno keeping him rooted where he stood and a part of his mind was urging him to reach out and hold the redhead. "This is a little more awkward than I thought it would be…" Zack said out loud, grinning and chuckling nervously.

Reno's eyes flashed up and met Zack's for the first time during their encounter. They held sadness and confusion, but quickly quieted down with a dullness Zack wasn't used to seeing on the fiery redhead. "Seeing me?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Zack answered, his bow knitting together and his grin slipping into a frown. "I never thought I'd see the day when I didn't know what to say to you."

Reno bit his lower lips and nodded. "I guess that's my fault."

Zack chose not to respond.

After a moment of silence, Reno took a deep breath which seemed to renew his confidence. "I saw you last night at The Bell Tower."

Zack felt the colour drain from his face. He didn't want Reno to have to witness him all over Cloud again. Reno seemed to interpret Zack's reaction and sighed.

"I guess I was coming as you were going."

Again, Zack was speechless as he watched the redhead's eyes. He'd always loved Reno's eyes and he hated seeing them in so much pain.

"You were leaving with that guy you went home with last weekend. Brushed right past me without looking." Reno paused and tried to smile, but it never came. "I guess you didn't see me."

"Reno," Zack practically whispered. "I didn't see you; I'm sorry." He paused and wondered why he was apologizing. "I didn't go home with him last weekend. We-" He paused again. "Last night, I would have stopped if I had seen you." But it was a lie. Zack was so wrapped up with the blond, he was certain that it wouldn't have made a difference if Gaia herself stood at the doorway. He was bringing Cloud home. Zack decided to stop trying to explain himself and just keep quiet on the matter.

"Zack," Reno said, his voice indicating exactly how deep his wound cut. "Please, you and I have known each other forever." He licked his lips and lifted his eyes to meet Zack's. "With that much history, please…" Reno took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Please. Lets go get coffee somewhere and talk about this."

Zack clenched his jaw and diverted his eyes to the shelves on the opposite side of the aisle. His heart was pounding in his chest and he could feel tears begin to prick in his eyes, something he was positive Reno would notice, too. The redhead had a point; they had a long history together, as friends as well as lovers, and it felt completely wrong to just cut ties or to avoid one another. The ravenet's head swam and he tried to reason this whole thing out, but it proved to be difficult with Reno watching him hopefully, his own eyes beginning to brim with tears. "I don't know, Reno…"

"One hour of your time." Reno cut in, his voice picking up, determination lacing his tone. "I'm only asking for one hour."

Zack clenched his jaw and he looked down to the ground. "I can't, Reno."

Reno paused before looking straight into violet eyes. "Why not?"

Zack wondered to himself the very same question. _Why not?_ Zack began to shake his head before pausing. He looked down at his groceries and licked his lips. "I need to get this stuff home." he same meekly, taking a step forward before he was stopped by Reno's hand on his cart.

"One hour, Zack." The redhead's lip was almost in a full tremble. "A half an hour – anything."

Zack swallowed hard then made the mistake of looking up into Reno's eyes. His heart swelled and a familiar feeling of needing to make things better for Reno returned. He debated internally for a split second then nodded. "All right…"

"All right?" Reno asked, a small smile twisting the shape of his frown. "Thank you, Zack."

Zack lowered his eyes to this cart before sniffling to himself. "I'll meet you at our usual place," a phrase that sent a stabbing pain into his heart, "In an hour."

Reno's smile widened and he nodded excitedly. "In an hour. I'll get us our regular booth."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Yeah, I know… Long time no see, ya? It seems that my muse is back and I've finally been able to finish writing this story. *throws confetti on the air* This is the second last chapter. Hope you like!

For KlikStar.

-o-o-o-

Zack woke up earlier than his alarm. That was actually quite lucky because he noticed the absence of the little light indicating that the alarm was turned on. He smiled at this lucky little happenstance and closed his eyes slowly, revelling in the warmth of his bed and the body beside his.

He inhaled deeply and his smile grew wider. His head was caught somewhere between the fluttering contentment and lurking uneasiness of his current situation, but quite honestly, he was damn tired of the chaos that had become his life since Reno left him. Never mind the random fact that Reno was slumbering soundly beside him; the redhead's head resting on Zack's naked chest and a pale hand palming Zack's flat stomach.

It felt right. This was familiar and no matter how hurt he was when Reno left him, he never realized the how deeply he missed little moments like these. Reno's normally sharp and jovial eyes were relaxed and innocent-looking. That devious smile was transformed into a slight smile-pout, like a child's when he's trying to look heart-stoppingly adorable. This was just right.

Zack felt the complete opposite the day before when he lingered in his apartment, dreading the meeting he had agreed to with Reno at their usual café, a quaint little hole-in-the-wall type place where they use to regularly meet one another to ease the pain of being separated during a particularly busy day. They would steal an hour out of their schedules just to see one another, catch each other up on what's going on in their day, plan on who'd make dinner that night, a quick kiss, before they'd be off until they both made it home to one another.

Their meeting the day before was nothing but an emotional rehashing of what once was. That was probably why Zack gave Reno the rest of his Sunday and invited him over to dinner instead of sending the redhead on his way.

Zack, in retrospect, didn't regret his decisions yesterday, either. He was happy. Lying in bed just before his Monday started with Reno sleeping soundly against him made him happy. There was no doubt in Zack's mind that he was still very much in love with Reno. Yes, Reno had hurt him, but Zack, being a mere human being, could not just turn his feelings off like the flick of a light switch. Emotions didn't work that way. His feelings were hurt by Reno's prior actions and decisions, but that didn't change the fact that Zack loved him intensely. That was the reason why it hurt so much; devastated him.

Zack's eyes fluttered open and he looked down at the redhead. His smile turned into a soft grin and he didn't miss his heart pick up a new tempo. His love was intense and ferocious and his instinctual urge was to wake the sleeping man with a tender kiss, but he knew he wouldn't have to fight too hard to resist. Reno had worded it perfectly in the grocery store the day before: they had so much history together. Zack knew Reno as a best friend, a confidant, a partner in crime, and a lover. One would be hard pressed to find another human being who knew more about another man as well as he knew the redhead. And that was what Zack was feeling. Intimacy and a draw towards the familiar life he had once known.

It was unusual for Reno to look so guarded and censored as he entered the ravenet's apartment yesterday afternoon. They talked. They talked endlessly without contempt or blame. It was one of the most intense heart-to-heart talks Zack had ever had in his life. They connected and they lowered all walls for each other and bared their souls completely. Zack never cried so freely in front of someone else before and Reno never cried so openly, either. There were times when Reno made Zack laugh through his tears and there were times when Reno expressed such self-hate at what he had done to his former lover. It was no-holds-barred with their feelings and Zack was genuinely contented that nothing was being withheld between them. No blame was placed on the other, but a lot of blame was being placed on one's self. Zack finally felt as though he understood what had happened to their relationship; why it had failed, and Zack was almost as much to blame as Reno.

They cooked together and ate together and the conversation never stopped. The conversation was much lighter during dinner and Zack noticed himself more than once watching Reno talk about this or that, his blue eyes staring up at the ceiling or at a random object as he chatted on and feeling that this was what happiness was suppose to feel like.

And the overwhelming feeling of love. That love flooded his heart and made him smile simply from being in the general vicinity of the redhead, made him think that things could maybe work out after all.

_Cloud._

No, Zack knew it was over between Reno and himself. He knew, especially after their night together, that things could not, and would not go back to the way they were. Setting aside for a moment that trust would have been an issue for the remainder of his life, Zack's heart was fixated on someone new.

He couldn't ask Reno to leave last night. He really didn't want him to. He loved how easy, and cathartically difficult, their conversations were and being there affirming this with the redhead did him much good. Zack grew tired after hours upon hours of the redhead's company, and as if it were natural, they ended up in Zack's bed together.

But neither made the first move. It felt right to lie in bed together, talking, cuddling, but neither Zack nor Reno went in for a kiss. Soft caresses and hugs lingered long enough to emphasize their affection for one another but not long enough to turn sexual. Zack wondered if it was, and there were a few times when he felt his body stir deliciously under Reno's fingertips, but the thought of Cloud being there with him the night before and that very morning stopped him from relishing in something he knew he would regret the next morning.

It felt right to have Reno lying next to him in his arms, slumbering before he'd have to leave for work, but Zack knew that this would be the last time they would share a bed together.

Ever.

Zack sighed and gave another small smile before stretching his body, not bothering to ensure he didn't disturb the redhead's sleep. Reno's brows knitted together and his eyelids fluttered before he, too, sighed and looked up at his former lover.

"What time is it?" the redhead asked, not bothering to move his head off of the ravenet's bare chest to view the alarm clock behind him.

"Time to get up." Zack answered, eyes focused on the ceiling.

Reno gave a low moan and buried his face against Zack's chest, giving a lingering kiss there before sitting up in bed. He seemed at a loss of what to say and Zack wasn't offering anything, either.

"What are your plans today?" Reno asked, eyes gazing loving down at the ravenet.

Zack's eyes met Reno's and he frowned. "I feel better after yesterday." Reno simply smiled and bit his lower lip. Zack couldn't stop looking into Reno's eyes before he continued. "If we had that conversation before… before… we may have been able to salvage everything."

"I feel pretty good about yesterday, too." Reno said.

"But-" Zack began before being cut off by the redhead.

"It's okay, Zack. I know."

Without words, both realized that what they had actually given each other the day before was closure.

-.-.-.-

"Well, don't we look chipper this morning." Kunsel said, grinning as he leaned back on Zack's desk. "How did Sunday go after Blondie left?"

Zack grinned but didn't remove his eyes from his work monitor. He took a deep breath and started to shake his head before abandoning the gesture and simply stared at the screen.

"Oooh-kay…" Kunsel said a tad sarcastically as he took in his best friend's reluctance. "Something happened. What gives?"

Zack sighed and decided to mess with Kunsel a bit. He deserved the pick-me-up. "Spent the night with Reno, actually." he said, struggling to suppress his give-away smile.

Kunsel started to say something, or so Zack thought based on the noise that came out of his throat, but stopped and stared directly at his friend's preoccupied eyes. "Zack…" Kunsel grabbed Zack's chair and swivelled the ravenet around to face him. "Zack, what the hell happened?"

Zack couldn't hide his smile any longer and shook his head. "We talked-"

"What happened?" Kunsel repeated impatiently.

"Reno and I spent the night talking about what went wrong and why things happened the way they did." He chuckled at his friend's shell-shocked expression. "Nothing like _that _happened… We just talked and, I guess it's officially over. It's done."

"Bastard… Don't scare me like that!" Kunsel said, shoving Zack's chair, and ultimately Zack, away from him. "You really are a jerk, you're aware of this fact, ya?"

Zack grinned and nodded. "I feel lighter, like a load has been lifted from me. I'm glad it happened."

Kunsel smiled and nodded. "So what's the next step with Blondie?"

Zack reached over and waved his phone in front of him. "Got plans to see him for dinner tonight."

"Your first official date." Kunsel said. "Big night."

"I hope so." Zack said, gazing down at his phone on his lap as if Cloud's face was on it. "I get to know the man who has stolen my heart."

Kunsel's smile waned a little but he recovered before Zack noticed. "Slow and steady wins the race." he said lowly, looking down at his hands. "You've got a lifetime to fall in love."

Zack looked up at his friend and nodded. "Slow and steady."

Kunsel smiled affectionately at his friend, patting him on the back as he made to leave Zack's desk. "That's my boy."

-.-.-.-

Zack's legs tingled as he practically skipped to his car. His body was radiating with sunny energy as he thought of how the rest of his night was going to play out. First, grab a coffee at his favourite hole-in-the-wall coffee joint, as if he needed the extra energy; next, stop off and fix Tifa's laptop; then go home and prepare for his date with Cloud. As if the thought of the blond triggered a series of paranormal events, his phone began to vibrate with Cloud's name displayed across the screen. Zack grinned to himself as he plunked himself into the driver's seat and closed the door.

"Heya handsome." the ravenet cooed with a smile.

"Heya yourself." came the cute response in an affectionate tone. "We're still on tonight?"

Zack started his car and switched to speaker, placing his phone in its cradle. "You betcha. What time do you want me to pick you up?"

There was a silence before the blond answered. "How about we meet at the restaurant. You can try out your charm and convince me to dine with you."

"Already with the role playing. Wow, I must have the new record for 'boring date'."

Cloud giggled, his voice projecting his smile over the phone. "Not at all. I just don't want to be so…" he paused and thought a moment. "I'm going to level with you."

"Listening." Zack said, smiling from ear to ear as he drove towards the coffee shop.

Cloud sighed but Zack could still feel the blond's excitement. "I'm nervous."

"Nervous? Cloud, I've already seen you naked. How much worse can this get?"

Cloud laughed before falling silent again. "Either way, I'm nervous. I don't want this to be a formal date."

Zack narrowed his eyes as he manoeuvred through the heavy traffic. "What do you mean by that?"

"Like, no dressing up like you're going to a job interview." Cloud said. "And I'll find my own way there. You don't have to be a perfect gentleman."

Zack cleared his throat as he pulled up to the drive-through window. "You're losing me a bit, here. You want me to be an arrogant asshole? I can do that it you want, but-"

"No, no." Cloud interrupted. He sighed before continuing. "I'm just nervous. I'm sorry. Lets keep this casual and fun."

Zack thought to himself for a moment then ordered his coffee, paying the girl through the window. "As oppose to uptight and dreadful? That wasn't exactly in my agenda…"

"I'm sorry, Zack." Cloud said, his tone picking up a bit. "My nerves are getting the better of me."

Zack smiled as he pulled away from the coffee shop. "Cloud, you need to relax. Listen, I already like you. A lot. You don't have to be nervous, okay? We're just going out to have dinner and get to know one another, ya?"

"Since we already know each other in bed, we're going to get to know one another with our clothes on." Cloud said before he gasped at his own comment. "Oh Gods… I'm sorry. I'm talking a lot. I'm talking a lot, aren't I?"

Zack laughed, trying to contain his delight but failing. "You're right, though. I never would have had you pegged for being so anxious about one little date."

Cloud groaned and Zack could picture him hiding his eyes with one of his slender hands. "I'm already making an idiot of myself."

Zack chuckled. "No, Cloud. You're actually coming off as quite adorable. And you're right. We're just going to have fun and have a casual dinner together. Nothing to be nervous about."

"It's just…" Cloud paused. "I really like you and I'm afraid you won't like m-"

"I'm going to stop you right there." Zack said, turning onto a side road. "Cloud, listen. I really like you too and I am a little nervous about tonight as well. We'll play this however you want to, okay? I'll be waiting by the bar. You come in and I'll charm you into eating dinner with me. Sound good?"

Cloud paused but Zack knew he was smiling based on the energy coming through the phone. "Yeah, I'd like that."

Zack pulled into the driveway of Tifa's apartment building and smiled. "You okay?"

"I'm great." Cloud said.

Zack smiled to himself. "I can't wait to see you tonight."

"I miss you." came Cloud's soft, unexpected reply.

Zack's heart pounded in his chest and his features slackened from ecstasy over hearing those words. "I miss you, too." he practically whispered into the phone.

There were a few moments of content silence before Cloud spoke next. "I feel good about this."

Zack's smile gracefully returned to his face. "Me too."

"Thanks, Zack. I'm not nervous anymore."

Zack sighed happily as he picked up his phone and turned it off speaker. "Neither am I."

"I'll see you soon?"

"Soon isn't soon enough." Zack said, subconsciously leaning his head against his phone.

"I lo- I'll see you."

Zack's heart stopped in his chest. Did Cloud almost say…? Did he feel the same way the ravenet felt? Cloud's voice interrupted Zack's mental whirlwind.

"See you at seven."

"See you at seven."

Zack was a bundle of nerves when he climbed the stairs in Tifa's apartment building. He decided against the elevator in order to burn off some of the excess energy he had coursing through his body. By the time he reached the eighth floor, he felt more composed. He swung his arms and stretched his neck before knocking on the door.

Tifa answered immediately, wearing a black, skimpy, spaghetti-strap top with denim Daisy-Dukes. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders and framed her hefty breasts, which looked as though they were trying to escape the confines of the tight tank top.

"Hey Zack!" Tifa chimed, showing off her pearl-white teeth. "Right on time! I love a technician that can keep to a clock."

"Good ol' dependable Zack." the ravenet smiled as he was led into the living room.

Tifa brought him over to a desk with a laptop sitting on top. She pouted at it then turned to Zack. "It stopped working on me."

Zack gave her a smile and dropped his work bag on the desk, opening it with flair. "I haven't yet met a laptop that can outsmart me."

"Thanks again for doing this for me." Tifa said, brushing a lock of hair from her shoulder.

"Thanks again for losing the bar bill." Zack responded, glancing back at Tifa before opening the laptop.

It took him only moments to find that she had two programs conflicting with one another, causing the system to freeze up. He cleaned out her system and rebooted it. "That should take care of things. Let me make sure your internet is still working."

Tifa smiled before shaking her head. "Someone said they were going to fix it but _still hasn't_!" she shouted over her shoulder, obviously to someone in the next room.

"I said it's on my to-do list." a voice called back sarcastically.

Zack chuckled and shook his head. "Men, eh?"

Tifa giggled and rolled her eyes. "Almost not worth the effort you put into them."

"Amen, sister." Zack said before logging into the system.

"I'm hearing every word of this, you know." the voice said before being cut off with a sharp gasp.

Zack looked over his shoulder at Tifa's fiancé and his heart seized up painfully in his chest at the sight of a familiar blond, big blue-eyed angel who was frozen on the spot staring back at him.

It seemed like an eternity that they stayed that way, staring at one another in pure shock. Zack couldn't remove his eyes if his life depended on it and Cloud seemed to be in the exact same position. To slow his brain down and make sense of what he was seeing was an impossible task and Zack struggled to process the fear evident in Cloud's eyes.

"Uhhh… You two know each other?" Tifa asked, watching as the two men stared at each other.

The sound of Tifa's voice sobered Zack enough to react. "Yeah. I mean, no. Not really." He took a deep breath, squinting his eyes. "I guess he just looks familiar."

Tifa looked from Zack to Cloud then back at Zack again.

"Uh, yeah." Cloud said, snapping back to normal, eyes casually sweeping from Zack to Tifa. He gave a small smile that looked forced before looking back at Zack. "You were at the pool hall last night. I was there with some friends."

Zack's eyes narrowed with question and Cloud's anxious eyes begged him to back up his lie. "I… don't…" Cloud's eyes saddened and the blond shook his head pleadingly, barely moving. "That must be it." Zack responded, turning around and focusing on the laptop again. With his back to Cloud and Tifa, he took the opportunity to lick his lips in hopes to stop them from trembling so badly.

Whether Tifa bought it or not, Zack couldn't say. All the ravenet knew was that he needed to get out of that apartment. He needed to get out as soon as possible before his shock gave away to the painful contraction of his heart.

"Small world…" Tifa said monotonously. Zack didn't care at this point. This was Cloud's problem now; not his. He just needed to pack up his things and get to his car before the tears came.

Cloud was quiet for a moment or two longer before his voice, raspy from stress, broke the heavy silence of the room. "Can I help with anything?"

Zack didn't bother to turn around, but answered with a shake of his head. He swallowed hard and licked his lips again, hands shaking as they packed up his kit.

"Zack?" Tifa asked, coming to his side and looking over at the blond. "Is everything okay?"

Zack looked up at her and put on his best fake smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." He looked over at Cloud and renewed his fake smile. "All fixed. That should keep her off your back for a bit." He looked back at Tifa and winked.

"Thank you so much." Tifa said with a smile, her concern melting away with the ravenet's easy nature. "I'm relieved it was such a small issue."

Zack smiled a smile he did not feel and nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He took a few steps towards the door before Cloud spoke up again. "Thanks, Zack."

Zack looked over at the blond, one hand on the door knob. The hurt renewed ten-fold and his eyes narrowed slightly to hide the tears that were beginning to surface. "No problem…" His eyes drank in the sight of the angel he had fallen for and his memory of that all-consuming light that accompanied the perfect smile. It made his heart clench again.

"I'll walk you out." Cloud said, walking over to the door and slipping on his boots.

"That's not necessary." Zack said, opening the door and taking a step out.

"I need to go to get bread from the store anyhow." Cloud said, his voice firming up as to indicate that he was coming along whether Zack liked it or not. He glanced up at Tifa as he tied his boots. "Anything else?"

Tifa was running a finger over her lips with a confused look in her eyes. "Milk…" she said softly.

Cloud nodded and closed the door behind him and Zack.

"Zack…"

Zack shook his head and pulled open the door to the staircase, once again needing to burn off energy that was causing him discomfort.

"Zack, please…" Cloud begged, following the ravenet down the stairs.

"Please what, Cloud?" Zack asked, turning around and staring at the worried blond. "Please what? Accept this? Play along? Let it continue? Absolutely not." He hissed, turning around and taking the stairs two at a time.

"Please wait." The blond responded, keeping up with Zack.

"Wait for what?" Zack said, his voice lowering as the first tear escaped his eye. "For you to tell me why you cheated on Tifa? Why you are playing me and her? What do you want me to wait for, because if I just mentioned it, you can forget it."

"No, please…" Cloud said, his own eyes welling up with tears. "I want to tell you why."

"There's never a good reason why you cheat on your damn fiancé, Cloud." Zack responded, pushing the door open to the parking lot.

"I know, Zack. I know what I did was wrong but I really need to talk to you."

"Is your life in danger?" Zack asked, turning around to face Cloud, a look of anger and pain mixing with sorrow.

Cloud stopped in front of Zack and shook his head. "What? No…"

"Then you have nothing to tell me that couldn't have been said before I found out you were about to be married." Zack interrupted, turning around and heading for his car.

"Zack, I just feel so trapped-"

"Not a good way to feel before your wedding." Zack interrupted again.

"Will you just listen to me?" Cloud snapped, his eyes releasing the first of his tears.

Zack stopped his escape and turned around. "Listen to what, Cloud? Your excuse for cheating on Tifa?" Zack took advantage of the momentary pause. "Do you know why I'm no longer with Reno; why my last relationship ended?" Cloud's lips formed a deep frown as he rubbed at his tears with his fingers. "Reno cheated on me, Cloud. That's why we aren't together anymore. Then I go and fall for you…" Zack stopped and took a deep breath in attempts to hide a short sob that escaped his throat. "I really… I…"

"Zack…" Cloud took a step closer to the ravenet and reached out for his hands.

"No," Zack took a step back. "You're doing to her what Reno did to me."

"I'm too scared to tell her who I am, Zack." Cloud took another step towards Zack. "No one knows this about me except for you. I work for her father and I have to keep in the closet so I don't cause waves. I'm scared." He wiped away a couple of more tears from his eyes. "I was always expected to marry Tifa since we were kids and now that I work for her dad, he'll destroy my life if I break her heart." Zack remained quiet, eyes focusing on the top of the building. "I'm scared, Zack. You're the only one in my life who knows this about me. I was drawn to you from the first second I saw you and I was instantly comfortable with you. I have no one to talk to about this. I'm alone. I liked you instantly and really wanted to be a part of your life. I needed this. Granted, I was drunk and got a little carried away at first. I needed that courage to find out-"

"Don't…" Zack demanded, eyes whipping down and glaring at the blond. "Don't tell me that was your first… That I was your first…"

Cloud lips trembled but he stayed perfectly quiet, a few more tears running down his soft, flushed cheeks.

"Oh Gods…" Zack breathed out, turning around and running a hand through his hair. "You didn't tell me…" A shiver ran through his body and his hands balled up into fists. He shook his head and started walking towards the car again. He needed to get away. If he was being honest with himself, he knew that if he stayed around Cloud, he couldn't guarantee that he would do the right thing by Tifa. Cloud still had that power over him and he needed Cloud to go so he could do what's right.

"Zack, I have no one in my life to talk to."

"That's not my problem." Zack responded, the ice in his voice cutting him painfully just as bad, if not worse, than it did Cloud.

"I don't want to be engaged." Cloud pleaded, following Zack still.

"Then leave her." Zack answered with the same chill in his voice. When he reached his car, he unlocked the door and opened it, but it was stopped by Cloud, who gripped the top and held it tightly.

There was a long pause between them, neither knowing what to say to the other. Zack's eyes focused on the blond's hand holding the door. He didn't make a move to get into the car, waiting for Cloud to say something.

"Zack… I really like you. Please lets go talk about this."

Zack chewed on his lower lip. He knew what would happen if he allowed Cloud any more of his time. He would fall more deeply for the guy. He was already starting to. He wanted nothing more than to wipe those tears from his big blue eyes and hold him close. He wanted to wrap his arms around the boy and protect him from all the pain he was feeling.

"I can't." Zack answered, knowing that he needed to hurt the blond to do what's right. "I can't… I…" He had to break his heart. "You were a rebound, Cloud."

"What?" Cloud asked, eyes brimming with fresh tears.

"I was still upset about Reno and you were a rebound. That's all." Zack's heart shattered and his eyes released new tears. He didn't believe his words for a second, but he needed Cloud to go be with his fiancé if the blond wasn't going to leave her. "We'll call it what it was and…"

"No…" Cloud said, shaking his head.

"Yes, Cloud." Zack said, looking into Cloud's eyes. His chest tightened and he wanted to tell Cloud the truth, that what he was saying wasn't true, but he couldn't be a part of this infidelity. "It's true."

Cloud's mouth hung open for a moment before he shook his head again. "I know you don't believe that, Zack. It's not true."

"Cloud, I have to go." He was losing his composure and he was losing it fast. It was killing him to say this lie to Cloud.

"No, Zack." Cloud sobbed as the ravenet got into the car. He held onto the door so Zack couldn't close it. "You don't believe that, Zack. What happened between us was something special. I felt it and I know you felt it, too. Zack, please…"

"I have to go." Zack said, pulling on the door but the blond wouldn't let go.

"Tell me you hate what I did, Zack, but don't tell me I'm just a rebound." Cloud cried, tears running freely down his cheeks. "Because you know that there was more than that. You know that what you feel for me is more than that and what I feel for you is overwhelming. Zack, you have to-"

"I have to nothing, Cloud." Zack responded, crying himself. "Go home to your wife." With that, he reached up and removed Cloud's hand from the car door, his touch lingering on Cloud's smooth skin. His heart beat faster before he shook his head and closed the car door shut. It felt as though someone had just jumped onto his chest, crushing his heart.

"Zack, please don't do this." Cloud cried, putting his hand on the driver's side window. "Please Zack. I want you in my life. Please…"

Without another word, Zack started the car and drove home, his vision blurred from the endless stream of tears.

Once he parked his car, he stumbled his way inside and locked the door behind him. He threw himself down on his couch and hugged a pillow close to his chest, crying harder than he did when he found out that Reno was with another man. An hour passed, Zack unable to move from his position. Once he regained enough control over his breathing, he pulled out his phone and scrolled down to Reno's name. He shook his head and took a deep breath before dialing a familiar number.

"Hey Zack!"

Zack's lips trembled and he started crying again.

"Zack? Zack, what's wrong?"

"I need you." Zack said through his tears. "I'm about to catapult myself back into a relationship with Reno. Come stop me."

"I'll be there before you know it." Kunsel said, voice hard and unwavering. "I've got you."

-o-o-o-

One more chapter. Please review?


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Here's the final chapter! Thanks to all who have stuck with me after my long absence.

For KlikStar.

-o-o-o-

Life is full of the unexpected. You need to expect the unexpected or you won't stand a chance against life. That was a life lesson Zack learned and burned into his consciousness. Life can go from a happy home with a warm, loving boyfriend to alone with a twice-broken heart in the span of a month.

Another life lesson Zack learned was the importance of good friends. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that he never would have pulled through that horrible month if it wasn't for his affectionate and platonically intimate friendship with Kunsel. His best friend spent most of his free time with Zack, dragging him through the mess his life had become and making sure he was standing on his own two feet after the storm blew over.

It took about another month for Zack to be able to do that without clinging onto Kunsel. If it weren't for his best friend, Zack would have become a complete hermit, waving off the outside world in fear of the hurt and pain relationships of any kind brought with them. It was pure luck that his best friend saw the good in everyone and had the right amount of skepticism to protect them from being taken advantage of. Kunsel kept Zack busy and made sure he kept him in contact with his other friends during his recovery though Zack would have preferred a guys' night in involving cheap pizza, mediocre beer, and bad movies alone with Kunsel. Kunsel gave him those nights, but made sure he balanced them with fun, physical activities.

After Zack managed some sort of independence, he began to resemble the charming, fun-loving man he used to be. Kunsel watched with pride as Zack started conversations with friendly strangers at bars and laughed openly on the dance floor when he and a few friends made complete fools of themselves. He sighed a happy sigh and the contentment made him smile. Whenever they did this, he would always keep one eye scanning the place in preparation for a quick withdrawal should Reno or Cloud wander in unexpectedly. Now, after two more months, Kunsel felt Zack would be able to handle such an encounter, but Kunsel wasn't comfortable chancing it just yet. Kunsel kept Zack obliviously happy and would worry about the risk for the ravenet for now.

They took certain precautions when they planned nights out like this. They never visited The Lookout or The Bell Tower anymore since there was a high probability that Reno or Cloud might be there. There were an abundance of bars and clubs to visit, though, so it was no major loss. They didn't openly discuss why they chose not to visit those places; it was an unspoken understanding between two close friends.

Another two months passed and things were pretty much back to normal. Zack no longer relied on Kunsel to be his day-planner and Zack had even taken it upon himself to organize outings with his friends. He moved to a new apartment closer to Kunsel, which his friend thought was fabulous because it helped him balance his own life. Kunsel and Lilly moved in together and Zack was a frequent dinner guest, a title Lilly did away with almost immediately as Zack was more like family than a friend. Lilly knew that if Kunsel wasn't home, he more than likely could be found on Zack's couch as the boys played their games or threw popcorn at the television set when their favourite teams played horribly.

Life had finally come together.

Another month had passed and Zack began getting a little restless. Kunsel teased him about needing to get laid but Zack knew that wasn't it. Watching Kunsel and Lilly, he was ready to take another stab at settling down with someone. Lilly tried to set him up with her brother but Zack thought that would be too weird. Kunsel tried to set Zack up with an anonymous friend he refused to tell Zack more about, but that turned out to be Lilly's brother again and Zack laughed it off, taking the guy out on a date just to be a gentleman.

Zack never really tried to pick up at the bar when they went out. He wasn't interested in the one night stands he used to live by in the past. He wanted to find someone he liked before sleeping with them. Kunsel would grin at this, explaining to the ravenet that sleeping with someone was the modern day handshake, which normally happened prior to getting to know someone, but Zack would only shake his head and brush off the conversation.

"We're men, and men are attracted by beauty and motivated by sex." Kunsel argued.

"Love is blind." Zack responded with a grin.

"That's another debate for another time, but sex is sex, Zack."

"And I already told you I'm not looking for sex." Zack said, rolling his eyes.

"So we're looking for a non-descript man with a great personality?" Lilly asked, eyes roaming the bar. "How do I know if a guy has a great personality?" Kunsel immediately pointed to himself, earning a playful smack in the behind from his girlfriend.

Zack smiled at Lilly, who was hanging off of Kunsel's arm and shook his head. "You get to know him."

"What about him?" Kunsel asked with a snobbish accent, pointing to a man dressed in nothing special with a narrow, frowning face. "He looks oh, so dull and could probably teach you a thing or two about calculus."

Zack sighed and shot a playful glare at his friend. "You've been very helpful, thank you, but I think I'll pursue my future boyfriend on my own."

"What? Why, I ask with surprise." Kunsel continued with his snob accent. "Did I not pick out the most perfect man for you, dear boy?"

Zack laughed and walked towards the bar to get another pint. He eyed the guy Kunsel pointed out and chuckled, shaking his head. He wasn't looking to find his soul mate tonight anyhow.

When the bartender brought him his drink, Ollie came up behind him and paid for him before Zack could get his cash out. "How are you doing?"

"No, thank you. I can pay my own way." Zack said but the bartender had already walked away. "What do you want?"

Ollie sipped his own drink as his eyes darted around the bar. "Just saying hi to an old friend."

"Hi," Zack responded before making an attempt to walk away.

"Now wait a minute, Fair." Ollie said, grabbing the ravenet's arm. "I'm serious. I heard what happened and haven't seen you since."

"What happened?" Zack asked, his brow furrowing with confusion.

"You know, with Blondie." Ollie said, tilting his head and looking genuinely concerned.

It took Zack's mind a second to understand who Ollie was talking about but when it registered, an old wound throbbed within his chest painfully. "That was a long time ago."

"I figured, but-"

"You'll have to get your gossip elsewhere." Zack interrupted.

"I'm asking as a friend, not as a gossip." Ollie responded, eyes narrowing.

"We're not friends." Zack said, eyes searching for Kunsel.

"We were." Ollie said lowly. "At least we had mutual friends."

"Which doesn't make us friends." Zack said, almost immediately regretting his harsh words. There was a silence between the two and Zack rolled over several things to say in his mind, each sounding just as pathetic as the last. "I'm sorry." He said sincerely. Time-tested and true.

"I guess I haven't been the best of friend to you in the past." Ollie said, running his finger over the lip of his glass. "He still looks for you, you know. At least I think it's you he looks for."

Zack's eyes met Ollie's and he licked his lips. "Who?"

"Blondie," Ollie answered, his features softening. "I don't see him often, but when he does make an appearance he normally stays by the bar looking around, brushing off anyone who tries to pick him up. He leaves after a few drinks without talking to anyone."

Zack swallowed hard, eyes glazing over. "That's not my concern anymore."

Ollie nodded then took a sip of his drink. "Call me next time you go out with the guys, ya?"

Zack looked at Ollie and smirked. "Will do."

"Promise?"

Zack smiled and nodded. "Sure."

Zack didn't know what to do with the information Ollie had given him. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to care as much as he did, but he let it drop without torturing himself too much. It still hurt him tremendously despite what he tried to tell himself. One night about a month later he drunkenly called Cloud's cell phone number which was still programmed on his phone and was disappointed to find the number no longer in service. He saw that as a sign and the next morning was relieved that his luck turned out that way. Kunsel had coached him through several strides forward; he shouldn't be taking any steps back.

But the knowledge that Cloud appeared to be looking for him stuck with him. One Saturday night, he made his way to The Bell Tower without anyone knowing about it and found himself drunk and disappointed that the blond never showed up. Again, the next morning he was relieved that nothing came from it.

Months later Kunsel shocked him by asking for his help picking out an engagement ring for Lilly. Zack was overwhelmed with happiness over the news and accepted the duties of best man. He had a hard time keeping the secret from Lilly but was proud to say he succeeded. Lilly flew into his arms the next evening before dinner and showed off her ring to Zack, Kunsel grinning behind her with a wink.

Alone one night, Zack tossed his book aside and stared up at the ceiling. He was nothing but thrilled for his best friend and Lilly, but a part of him was also jealous that they were going to be getting married, having found one another at a bar, and he was still single. Lilly continued to playfully leave her brother's phone number around the apartment for Zack to find randomly, but she knew it wasn't a love connection.

Zack got to his feet and stretched just as a soft knock came from his door. He glanced over at the time and frowned, making his way over to the door. He opened the door and tilted his head but froze as a familiar face looked back at him, eyes sad and full of fear.

"Cloud?"

"Please don't slam the door in my face." the blond whispered.

Zack swallowed hard and opened the door a little more. "Come in."

Cloud exhaled softly and nervously made his way into the apartment, stopping just a few feet inside. He turned around and looked back at the ravenet, his eyes heavy and a frown tugging at the corners of his lips.

"What are you doing here?" Zack asked, his eyes scanning the blond as if he were an apparition.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Cloud asked, hands nervously tugging at the corner of his jacket.

"No, of course not." Zack said, offering to take the blond's jacket. "Come inside."

Cloud followed Zack to the living room and gingerly sat down after Zack took a seat. "I hope you don't mind me stalking you a bit." Cloud said, a weak smile playing on his lips before it disappeared behind another frown. "I asked your friend Ollie where you live now."

Zack was still in too much shock to respond to the blond. Cloud was more beautiful than he remembered and the angel was watching him closely with the most beautiful eyes glazed in unshed tears.

"Ollie…?" Zack asked, the urge to kiss those blue eyes being his main focus.

"Yeah, he said you were friends." Cloud responded, eyes gazing back into Zack's. "He speaks very highly of you. Said you are the most decent man he knows; he went on and on about you." Cloud smiled a little before looking down at his hands. "I feel like I got to know you better through him… even though… considering the circumstances…"

"Yeah…" Zack was in full swoon. Cloud's power over him, even after all this time, was still strong.

"I want to get to know you." Cloud said, looking back up and flicking a lock of hair from his eyes with a quick flip of his head. "It seems silly, but I've really, _really_ missed you." The blond's eyes filled with tears again and he looked back down at his hands.

Zack's own eyes became teary and Zack moved his body closer to the blond's. Cloud looked up at him and sniffled quietly, offering the ravenet a soft smile.

"I've missed you, too, Cloud, but Tifa…"

Cloud smiled and his cheeked flushed slightly. "It's over between Tifa and I. Has been for a while now." Cloud licked his lips and took a deep breath. "I told her everything."

Zack gave a small encouraging smile. "Everything…"

Cloud nodded. "I told her why we were so shocked to see one another that afternoon. I told her that I didn't go to the pool hall, but met you at a bar instead. I told her why… I… didn't come home that night." Cloud swallowed hard and looked down at his hands again. "I told her that you didn't know about her and that you were pissed off with me, and rightfully so, when you found out. I tried to explain that it wasn't her fault; that I was born this way, but it didn't matter after I betrayed her trust. I don't blame her for that."

Zack nodded and tilted his head, watching the blond struggle with his story. "She told me to leave and the next morning I was fired from my job. Her father didn't want me around anymore than she did." He looked back up at Zack. "I don't blame him either."

"I'm sorry to hear this." Zack said softly.

Cloud shook his head and smiled. "That was a while ago. It was for the best. After losing you…" Cloud looked back down. "After losing you it made me realize that I can't live a lie. I have to be myself no matter how hard it might be." Zack smiled as Cloud continued. "I stayed with a friend for a bit, but now I have my own apartment. Several months ago I started with a reputable firm and got back on my feet again. My life is back on track, but…"

Zack waited for Cloud to continue though the blond stayed quiet. "But… ?"

Cloud's lips quivered and he took a deep breath. "I was still missing you so much." Another silence followed, Zack not able to offer a prompt due to his own overwhelming emotion. "I don't understand it, but I couldn't stop thinking about you and how badly I messed up. I know we've never really known each other, but there was this feeling I had when I was with you, a feeling I have, Zack. I can't explain it but it just feels-"

"Right." Zack finished for him. "It just feels right."

A few tears ran down Cloud's cheeks and he nodded, looking up at the ravenet. "Exactly. And when you told me I was just a rebound…" A sob interrupted the blond. "A rebound, Zack, it didn't make any sense."

The memory of saying those words to Cloud hurt like a knife to the heart for Zack. He wished he could take every one of them back but he couldn't get the words out.

"I didn't want to believe you." Cloud continued. "What happened between us was-"

"Too special." Zack finished for Cloud again.

"Yeah," Cloud said with a smile. "That's why it hurt so badly."

Zack sniffed and shook his head. "I never felt as though you were a rebound, Cloud. Not for a second."

Cloud smiled through his tears. "You were only doing the right thing."

Zack nodded his head and wiped a tear from his own eye. "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

"Ollie was right about you being a decent man." Cloud said, wiping his eyes with his fingers. "After everything, Zack, I still can't stop thinking about you. I got my personal and professional life back on line, now I want to work on my love life." Big blue eyes met with violet. "That's why I'm here."

Zack smiled and bit his lower lip. "I'm glad you're here."

Cloud smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Can I take you out to dinner? Get to know you and see if Ollie was right about you?"

Zack chuckled and wiped the remaining tears from his eyes. "Only if you promise this to be a casual dinner."

"As oppose to uptight and dreadful?" Cloud asked, quoting Zack from what felt like a lifetime ago.

They laughed together and helped one another off the couch. Once on their feet, they fell into an embrace automatically and held each other tightly, relishing in the feeling of being with one another again. Zack buried his nose in silky blond hair and Cloud tried to hide in Zack's firm, warm chest. Both of their arms were around each other protectively and they stood that way for several minutes in complete silence.

When Cloud looked up at the ravenet, Zack bowed his head and kissed Cloud with passion, unable to hold back as his heart poured out all feeling for the boy with a kiss. Cloud responded with a low moan and pressed his body up against the stronger man, arms clutching onto him around his neck.

Neither knew how much time passed, but both knew they needed to stop before they lost control over their desire for one another. Cloud took a step back, eyes heavy with longing, and looked back at his lover. Zack stared back with a certain amount of hunger before sighing silently to himself to calm his heart.

Over dinner, the boys talked endlessly without pause. Zack really didn't think there would be any awkward pauses as he had always been a conversationalist, but he was impressed that Cloud was just as talkative. The blond opened up to him completely and Zack felt as though he were having a conversation with someone he'd known his whole life. At one point Cloud got up to find the restroom and Zack sent Kunsel a quick text message giving him a quick briefing of what was going on, feeling like he was in middle school again. Kunsel's response was short and to the point:

_I'll have Lilly book a double venue for the weddings! Call me tomorrow or I'll storm in for details. You have until noon._

Zack knew better than to call Kunsel's bluffs. They never were bluffs.

Zack and Cloud spent hours at dinner, sharing a bottle of wine and a dessert afterwards. Zack chuckled as Cloud dripped chocolate sauce down his chin and Cloud rolled his eyes, refusing to acknowledge that it was really there. Zack couldn't help but laugh as the blond finally wiped it away only to purposely replace it with the very next bite.

Zack absorbed every word Cloud said and found the boy simply fascinating. The blond was both smart and funny and, based on what Zack learned, he had a very warm heart. Before the end of dessert, they had already set up a repertoire of dates that they began scheduling over the next few months. Zack never realized how much he was smiling until his jaw and cheekbones began aching, but he didn't mind in the slightest.

Zack noticed how much attention Cloud attracted and the ravenet sat just a little taller, proud that Cloud was with him and that Cloud looked only at him with complete adoration. He smiled affectionately when Cloud told him that he was still amazed that he was there with the ravenet, scared to death that Zack wouldn't give him a second chance, to which Zack responded by reaching across the table and taking Cloud's slender hands in his own.

"I'm crazy about you." Zack said with a certain husk in his voice.

"I'm crazy about you." Cloud responded, his smile slackening slightly as a deep-rooted emotion filled his eyes with tears. "That something special from before, it's still happening."

Zack smiled as he leaned over the table, placing a slow, lingering kiss against Cloud's lips. Cloud reciprocated the kiss and moved one of his hands from Zack's hand to the side of the ravenet's face. The air between them was electric and vibrated with their own pulse; a pulse unique to the two of them that would eventually lead to the genuine words "I love you" repeated to each other for the rest of their lives.

Cloud hung onto Zack's arm as they made their way back to Zack's apartment. Zack was playfully scolding Cloud for never having seen a popular movie from when they were kids and Cloud was laughing happily and making up silly excuses for having missed it. Cloud's hand clutched the sleeve of Zack's jacket before one hand slipped down and held Zack's hand. Zack laced his fingers through Cloud's and Cloud looked up at the ravenet with a bright smile, his eyes lighting up the dark street.

Once they made it back, Cloud sighed happily as Zack hung up their jackets. There was no plan for the rest of the night nor did they ask the other what happened next. They just fell into each other's arms, their lips finding the others' immediately.

It felt right. It felt natural. It didn't feel as though he just got to know Cloud that night. Zack felt as though he'd always known the blond in his arms as they stumbled their way to his bedroom, eyes shut and arms grasping the other tight. No time was used to turn on the lights or to pull the covers down from Zack's made bed. They landed on top of the duvet, Cloud pinned under the stronger man before Zack lifted his weight and caged Cloud with his body and arms, lips still locked in a passionate kiss.

When their lips did part for air, both gasping to replenish their oxygen, their eyes remained on the others', the heat between their bodies intensifying. Zack couldn't help but place short, wet kisses against Cloud's lips as the boy panted sweet, humid air between their mouths. Zack was addicted in the most serious way.

The energy Cloud's body was emitting drugged Zack and he went back to capture those lips once more, unable to stop himself. His body responded strongly to the low moan from the back of Cloud's throat before he pulled away slowly, Cloud's head following him to retain the kiss before he laid back down against the soft mattress, staring up at the ravenet.

Cloud's piercing blue eyes drunkenly gazed up into violet, holding Zack's stare captive. "Zack…"

Zack shuddered at the sound of the husky voice saying his name. "Just lie with me."

Cloud's eyes softened and smiled without the help of his lips, which still panted lustfully. "Promise to hold me?"

"All night." Zack answered, moving back away from Cloud. This was important for Zack in a big way. He would be lying if he told himself he didn't want to make love to Cloud. He wanted to and he was ready for it, but he felt as though they've done that before. He'd slept with Cloud before and he knew they both felt the connection they had all those months ago. But tonight was different. Tonight they really got to know one another and he didn't want to confuse what he was feeling at the moment with sex. They had a lifetime to make love. Tonight, he just wanted Cloud to lie with him, to hold the blond against his body and prove to himself that this wasn't just a dream.

Cloud crawled away from Zack and pulled the covers down from the bed. Both removed their clothing, everything, and Cloud slipped under the sheets. Zack joined him underneath the sheets and laid down, cradling Cloud as the blond sunk into his arms. Their bodies intertwined together and both swooned at the feeling of the others' naked body against their own skin. Zack breathed heavily as Cloud ran his fingers cross the ravenet's bare chest and the blond shivered as Zack stroked his back. Both were aroused beyond all reason but kept their touches innocent. They spent the night exploring each other's bodies and kissing passionately, their kisses lasting hours before they broke to calm down enough to keep their explorations innocent.

Neither slept that night. Neither cared. They could explore more sexually tomorrow, but tonight was strictly about innocent examination. Zack knew by the next morning, seeing how they lasted all night talking and touching, bodies responding strongly, achingly, to the others' ministrations without giving in, that Cloud was the man he was going to spend the rest of his life with.

Cloud looked up at Zack when the clock struck eight in the morning and smiled. Zack, his body feeling like he was charged by lightening, leaned down and kissed the blond again, taking in Cloud's scent and realizing that he now had everything he could ever want in life. He'd finally gotten to know the blond angel from the bar and he loved every fiber of his being.

When their kiss ended, Zack grinned. "Let me make you breakfast?" A happy smile spread across Cloud's face and his eyes sparkled with the morning sun. Zack's heart fluttered in his chest. "A western omelet?"

Cloud giggled and bit his lower lip. "My favourite."

"I know." Zack felt as though he was looking at his husband of many years, just as deeply in love as the day they met.

-o-o-o-

Thanks everyone! I've already started writing my next story, so stay tuned!

Please, please review?


End file.
